The Supreme Court slammed the Centre for not bringing uniformity in dealing with appointment, tenure and facilities for judges heading judicial or quasi-judicial tribunals and said it would pass order if the government failed to do so in four weeks.
A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya expressed its anguish that despite giving assurance to it, the government has failed to bring uniformity in the prevailing statutes governing the functioning of tribunals. It asked the Attorney General to appear before it on the next date of hearing.
Despite court’s warning on the last date of hearing on December 4 that it will stay all appointments till a uniform policy comes into existence, the Centre failed to bring changes in the statutes.
There were over 60 tribunals functioning in the country to be headed by persons who are either sitting or retired judges or chief justices of apex court or high courts.
The bench expressed anguish over the manner in which judges appointed to the posts are denied accommodation or facilities to which they are entitled under the respective statutes.
Earlier, the bench had observed that there had been instances when a retired judge of a tribunal was forced to take refuge in a ‘dharamsala’ and the perks and facilities offered to one judge were different from another who was later offered the post of chairman.
