Working Strength In Delhi Judicial Service Shall Be Nearly At Par With Sanctioned Strength By Year End: High Court

The Delhi High Court has said that the working strength in the Delhi Judicial Service shall be “nearly at par with the sanctioned strength” by the end of this year.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora disposed of a PIL filed by Advocate RK Kapoor in 2014 seeking advertising of all the vacancies which were existing then in the lower judiciary.

“It is pertinent to mention that this writ petition was initially filed in the year 2014 for filling up the vacancies in Delhi Judicial Service as they existed on 18th February, 2014. The said relief at prayer 'a' does not survive for consideration as appropriate steps in this regard have been taken and by this year end the working strength shall be nearly at par with the sanctioned strength,” the court said.

The plea also sought creation of infrastructure and financial support from the State Government and the Union of India.

On this, the bench said that several steps have been taken between the year 2014 to 2022 on the issue and that the aspect of judicial infrastructure development in the national capital is under consideration before the Supreme Court in Malik Mazhar Sultan v. U.P. Public Service Commission.

“Therefore, the circumstances in which the present petition was initially filed in the year 2014 have ceased to exist. Accordingly, no further directions are called for with respect to development of infrastructure in the present writ petition,” the court said.

It further directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take appropriate steps within 12 weeks for conversion of Tikona Park for the purpose of parking space near Tis Hazari Court Complex, in accordance with law.

“The L&DO and DDA are directed to act expeditiously upon receipt of the appropriate request from MCD,” the court said.

It noted that the L&DO [Land and Development Office] had identified 04 acres of land which could be transferred to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for maintaining as a green area, in lieu of change of the land use of Tikona Park.

“With the aforesaid directions to MCD, DDA and L&DO, the present petition and pending applications stand disposed of as satisfied,” the court said.

Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. R. K. Kapoor, Ms. Diksha Gulati and Ms. Shweta Kapoor, Advocates

Counsel for Respondents: Ms. Padma Priya with Mr. Karan Bhootra, Advocates for R-1; Mr. Anurag Ahluwalia, CGSC with Mr. Abhigyan Siddhant, Advocate for UOI; Mr. Rishikesh Kumar, ASC for GNCTD with Ms. Sheenu Priya, Mr. Atik Gill and Mr. Sudhir, Advocates; Ms. Shahana Farah with Ms. Sanna Harta, Advocates for DDA; Ms. Sonia A. Menon with Ms. Vanita Chauhan, Advocates; Ms. Richa Dhawan, standing counsel for MCD with Mr. Anuj Chaturvedi, Advocate; Mr. S. K. Singh, AE for PWD

Title: R K KAPOOR, ADVOCATE v. THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI & ORS.

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 114

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