On Wednesday, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant announced that the Supreme Court collegium is actively working on appointing chief justices for the remaining high courts. This announcement comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding Justice Sandeep Mehta, who has raised concerns about alleged maladministration and serious irregularities involving Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, the acting chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court. The situation has prompted scrutiny of the judiciary’s internal processes and governance.
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CJI Kant, in a press statement, said he and other senior judges of the collegium have taken note of the concerns raised by Justice Mehta but stressed that allegations against a sitting judge had to be dealt with strictly through the established institutional mechanism. “The fact that allegations have been made cannot by itself be treated as a finding against the judge,” said the CJI, emphasising the need for due process in dealing with complaints against members of the higher judiciary.
