The Supreme Court Collegium has appointed 5 retired judges as ad-hoc judges in the Allahabad High Court. This appointment under Article 224A is for 2 years. Its main objective is to dispose of the large number of cases pending in the High Court.
Allahabad: The Supreme Court Collegium has taken an extraordinary step. The Collegium has appointed retired judges as ad-hoc judges in the Allahabad High Court. It has been decided to appoint five retired judges as ad-hoc judges. This action has been taken using Article 224A of the Constitution, which allows retired judges to be temporarily re-appointed to the High Court. This provision is used when the posts of judges are vacant.
The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday approved the appointment as temporary judges for two years. The collegium approved the proposal to appoint Justice Mohammad Faiz Alam Khan, Justice Mohammad Aslam, Justice Syed Aftab Hussain Rizvi, Justice Renu Aggarwal and Justice Jyotsna Sharma as temporary judges.
Attempt to settle pending matters
The collegium says that these appointments are to strengthen the functioning of the Allahabad High Court, which is facing a major crisis due to pending cases. Article 224-A of the Constitution empowers the Chief Justice of the High Court, with the prior consent of the President, to request a retired judge to act as a temporary judge. Such appointments are generally made to overcome the shortage of judges and ensure efficient administration of justice.
During their tenure, the temporary judges will have the same jurisdiction, powers and privileges as the permanent judges of the High Court. One of the largest High Courts in the country, Allahabad High Court has been handling a large number of cases for years. There were complaints of many pending cases here.