Supreme Court Awaits Centre’s Detailed Report on Collegium’s Chief Justice Recommendations
Jharkhand Government Files Contempt Petition as Centre Delays HC Chief Justice Appointments
NEW DELHI, Sept 19: On Thursday, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it would present detailed information next week regarding the Collegium’s recommendations for appointing Chief Justices to various High Courts across the country. This update was conveyed by Attorney General R. Venkataramani during a session before a bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud. The Attorney General requested a postponement of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) scheduled for Friday, emphasizing that the detailed information would be shared shortly.
“I will be providing specific details about the Collegium’s recommendations. Please reschedule the hearing of the plea listed for Friday to the following week,” Venkataramani told the bench, which also included Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The bench noted that any adjournment requests could be addressed on Friday, given the matter was already on the docket.
Chief Justice Chandrachud also informed the Attorney General that the Jharkhand government had filed a contempt petition against the Centre for failing to appoint a Chief Justice for the Jharkhand High Court. The state government, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is challenging the Centre for not approving the Collegium’s recommendation to appoint Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
In response, Venkataramani claimed ignorance of the contempt petition but had previously indicated on September 13 that sensitive information received by the central government had caused delays in implementing the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendations. He suggested that disclosing this sensitive material publicly would not serve the interests of the judiciary or the judges involved and proposed submitting the details in a sealed cover for judicial review.
The PIL, filed by advocate Harsh Vibhore Singhal, seeks to establish a fixed timeline for the Centre to announce appointments for judges recommended by the Collegium. Singhal’s petition argues that without a designated timeframe, the government might unduly delay appointments, undermining judicial independence and disrupting the constitutional order.
The plea also suggests that if the government does not object to or notify appointments within a fixed period, those appointments should be considered officially confirmed. The Collegium, led by the Chief Justice, had on July 11 recommended candidates for Chief Justice positions for seven High Courts, including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, and Meghalaya. These recommendations are still awaiting approval from the Centre.
Subsequently, on July 17, the Collegium adjusted its July 11 recommendations concerning the High Courts of Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, leading to speculation that this adjustment might have been influenced by new, crucial information provided by the Centre.
