Moily assures of steps to make judges more accountable

NEW DELHI - A day after the Supreme Court slammed some judges of the Allahabad High Court for nepotism and corruption, union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily Saturday said the government will take steps to make judges more accountable.

Moily was reacting to the order of the apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra wherein it questioned the integrity of some judges of the high court who passed orders on “extraneous considerations”.

The apex bench slammed the high court for passing shocking and outrageous orders on extraneous considerations that shake the faith of the common man in judicial functioning.

Asking the chief justice of high court to take some strong measures for house cleaning, the apex court said that the kith and kin of some judges were shamelessly taking advantage of their relationship and enjoying luxurious life.

The court said: We are sorry to say but a lot of complaints are coming against certain judges of the Allahabad High Court relating to their integrity.”

“Some judges have their kith and kin practicing in the same court, and within a few years of starting practice, the sons and relations of judges have become multi-millionaire, have huge bank balances, luxurious cars, huge houses and are enjoying luxurious life, the apex court said.

The court’s stinging censure of the high court came in the wake a single judge’s direction to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board to allot waqf land to Raja Khan for running a circus and swings in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh.

This order of the single judge was set aside by a division bench of the high court. Khan then challenged the division bench’s order in the apex court.

The apex court said that the interim order of the single judge of the high court were passed on extraneous considerations.

Apart from facing criticism from Justice Katju and Justice Misra, the high court was also singled out by Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia for its huge backlog of cases.

Every fourth case pending in the high courts is in the Allahabad high court, the chief justice said at a function to celebrate the National Law Day in the apex court Friday.

The chief justice said that out of the total 40 lakh cases pending in various high courts, the Allahabad High Court accounted for 9.63 lakh cases.

He said the backlog was because frivolous litigation was being entertained in the high court.