‘Need to finalise Memorandum of Procedure for judicial appointments’

Supreme Court Bar Association president and senior advocate Vikas Singh on Wednesday stressed the need to finalise the Memorandum of Procedure for judicial appointments.

He said this will ensure that judges of fine calibre comes to the higher courts and that there is credibility in the process. Memorandum of Procedure is the list of rules and procedures for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts.

Speaking at a Constitution Day celebration organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Singh highlighted deficiencies in judicial infrastructure, particularly in lower courts.

“I beseech the law minister, the Chief Justice of India and the other collegium judges that this Memorandum of Procedure has been hanging fire since 2016. The Memorandum of Procedure is basically meant to ensure that the collegium system has more accountability, and I request that it be finalised at the earliest,” Singh said.

“This will definitely ensure the quality of judges coming to the higher courts and there is credibility in the process. I feel that the Collegium system is the best system for the appointment of judges but there has to be accountability. That can only be brought in either by law made by Parliament regulating the Collegium system or by the Memorandum of Procedure,” he added. The SCBA president said the Constitution Day must serve as an occasion for introspection on whether the Constitution has fulfilled its promise. Since 2015, November 26 is observed as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly in 1949.

Earlier, the day was observed as National Law Day.