Centre Says It Has No Proposal To Reintroduce National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) With Modifications

The answer was in response to a question put by Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge and CPI (M) MP Dr. John Brittas as to whether the Government proposes to reintroduce National Judicial Appointments Commission with suitable modifications?

"No Sir, at present there is no such proposal," the Union Law and Justice Ministry responded.

The Centre's reply in the Lok Sabha assumes significance as the Union Law Minister had recently said though the Centre did not act immediately when the Supreme Court struck down the NJAC in 2015, but it doesn't mean that it will be silent forever.

It may be noted that recently, on at least 3 occasions, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju has criticised the Collegium System on public forums by calling it opaque & Unaccountable, alien to the Constitution of India, and not backed by the citizens.

However, such comments of the Union Law Minister have not gone down well with the Supreme Court.

For instance, while hearing a contempt petition filed by the Advocates Association of Bangalore against the Centre for breaching the timeline for judicial appointments, the Supreme Court today expressed disapproval of the comments made by the government functionaries against the collegium system.

The Top Court also told the Central Government that the collegium system is the "law of the land" which should be "followed to the teeth".

"Just because there are some sections of society who express a view against the collegium system, it will not cease to be the law of the land", the Court added

It may further be noted thay the response of the Union Law Ministry comes in the backdrop of a critical comment made by the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar recently about the Supreme Court's judgment which overturned the Constitutional Amendment passed to bring in the NJAC in 2015.