Two High Court judges, who took oath early in 2018, are set to retire within a month of taking charge, Hindustan Times reported, quoting an official in the Law Ministry.
Abhilasha Kumari, the first woman Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court who took oath on 9 February, is set to retire on 22 February. Chief Justice of Meghalaya Tarun Agarwala, who was appointed on 12 February, ends his term on 2 March, the report added.
Meanwhile, Antony Dominic, who heads the Kerala High Court, is slated to retire on 29 May after being appointed on 6 February.
After their names were cleared by the Supreme Court collegium on 10 January, the two judges would be relieved of their duties in less than a month of their appointment.
On the other hand, appointments of chief justices of five high courts are yet to be notified. These HCs are currently working under an acting superior.
The early retirements are likely to begin the process of reappointment, which would take a while, the official told HT. The government was “not likely to clear these appointments in the coming days,” another official in the Law Ministry acquainted with the process.
Experts have complained that the collegium and government is responsible for the delay in appointment of judges.
A demand for the revision of Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges has been echoed by experts since a long time.
The present system does not seem to be working for the benefit of the people. The Supreme Court has clearly said in the Second Judge case that the process of filing up judges’ vacancies should begin six months before the vacancy arises but the timelines prescribed are not being adhered to.Former chief justice of India RM Lodha to HT
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
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