The Hindu : Karnataka News : `Judgeship should be offered, not sought'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

`Judgeship should be offered, not sought'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 28. The post of a judge should be offered and not sought, Santosh N. Hegde, Supreme Court judge, said here on Monday.

He was interacting with advocates on the Advocates' Association premises after visiting the Bar Council. He said people should not lobby for the post of a judge.

Asked if there was political interference in the appointment of judges, he said the collegium of judges in the Supreme Court scrutinised the cases and sent them to the President.

The State or Union Government did not have any say in the appointment of High Court and Supreme Court judges. The judiciary sent a list to the State Government and sought its views. Even if the Government objected, the collegium could overrule the objection, he said.

He assured the advocates that the Supreme Court would take steps to fill the vacancies of judges after the vacation. He said the Supreme Court had high regard for the Karnataka High Court.

Mr. Hegde said there was a need for an editorial board in the Supreme Court to scrutinise its judgments before they were reported in law journals. The legal fraternity now relied on the media for the judgments of the apex court. The board, he said, should not consist of judges. It could decide on which judgments to report.

He said a code of conduct for advocates was necessary. There was already a code of conduct for judges.

Asked about the need to post a judge from outside the State as the Chief Justice, he said the Supreme Court itself had evolved the formula. The system was working well.

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