NJAC not to appoint any Fresh Judges till disposal of the Challenging Petitions; AG to SC

The Union of India today assured the Supreme Court that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC ) shall not appoint fresh judges till its validity is authoritatively adjudicated upon by the 5 judge bench. Appearing for the UOI, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that the NJAC shall be put in place by May 11 but it’s role shall be confined to deal only with cases of confirmation of additional judges.The Supreme Court will now exhaustively start hearing the detailed arguments on merits in the matter from Monday i.e. 27^th April.

The bench had observed that it’ll be embarrassing to the judges appointed through NJAC if the system is found invalid. At the outset of the hearing to decide on the fate of additional judges whose term may be coming to an end during the course of the hearing of the challenge to the NJAC, the AG told the court that the constitution of the NJAC will be completed by the selection and appointment of two eminent people.

AG also told the court that the first batch of additional judges who will complete their tenure will be from Assam. The next will be 7-8 judges from the Bombay High Court in the month of June.

Read the Order here.