Supreme Court Opens New Pathway for the Appointment of District Judges
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Judiciary - Structure, Appointment of Judges to Subordinate Judiciary, Article 233, Constitution Bench).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Polity & Governance): Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary; Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. Judicial reforms is a key topic.
Key Highlights from the News
The Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution Bench delivered a significant verdict, bringing about a major change in the appointment of District Judges.
As per the new ruling, in-service judicial officers are now eligible to apply for direct recruitment as District Judges.
Condition for this: They must have at least seven years of experience at the Bar before entering judicial service.
Old method: Only practicing lawyers with seven years of experience could be directly appointed as District Judges.
Aim behind the verdict: To attract young talent to the higher echelons of the district judiciary, boost the morale of existing officers, and thereby help reduce case backlogs in courts.
The court set the minimum age for appointment as a District Judge at 35 years.
This verdict is related to the interpretation of Article 233 of the Constitution.
COMMENTS