Govt must fill up vacancies in judiciary expeditiously: CJI

NEW DELHI: Concerned about delay in the appointment in the higher judiciary and tribunals, Chief Justice of India Justice T S Thakur today said the government should “expedite” the process of filling up vacancies to ensure speedy delivery of justice.

“I feel that like the higher judiciary in the country, so also I think in the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), one of the major problems that has been experienced over the years is the difficulty or the delay involved in filling up the vacancies,” he said.

“The delay in the filling up of the vacancies is bound to affect adversely the working of tribunals.”

The Chief Justice of India was addressing the Platinum Jubilee celebration of ITAT.

According to the latest Law Ministry data, out of the approved strength of 1,044 judges in 24 high courts, there are 443 vacancies. With an approved strength of 31 judges, the Supreme Court has 5 vacancies.

“I have been given to understand that even today, there are 30 vacancies in ITAT. I think that while we celebrate the platinum jubilee here, we also need to impress upon the government that the process of filling up the vacancies must be expedited,” he said.