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‘Streamline collegium system’, demands Delhi Bar Council chief
The elevation of Sanjiv Khanna to Supreme Court has triggered a controversy with former Delhi high court judge Kailash Gambhir writing to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday to ask him “to prevent another historical blunder”. Mittal said it was high time “to streamline the system to obviate any kind of grievance or discomfort”.
Bar Council of Delhi chairman K C Mittal on Thursday underlined the need for “a transparent, accountable and objective” collegium system for the appointment of judges to maintain credibility while saying “nothing has happened so far in this direction”.
“The senior judges... should have been given their dues, but destiny nobody can change,’’ he said while speaking at the farewell of Delhi high court judge Sanjiv Khanna a day before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
Khanna has superseded 32 judges for his elevation to the top court. The elevation has triggered a controversy with former Delhi high court judge Kailash Gambhir writing to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday to ask him “to prevent another historical blunder”. Mittal said it was high time “to streamline the system to obviate any kind of grievance or discomfort”.
Khanna said his elevation came as a surprise while thanking Delhi high court chief justice Rajendra Menon for “extreme calmness and composure”. He said the judiciary must uphold the highest level of integrity in all actions. Khanna called judicial independence a critical element in achieving impartial justice. He highlighted the delay in disposal of cases among the difficulties the judiciary faces.
Fellow judges, members of the Delhi High Court Bar association and other lawyers were present at Khanna’s farewell a day before he is set to take oath as Supreme Court judge on Friday. Menon praised Khanna for “some quality judgments” and for doing his work with “utmost sincerity”.
Khanna pronounced 10 judgments on the last day of his tenure as Delhi high court judge. According to the court staff, the notification for his appointment left him with no time to write all his judgments.
