"Bill to regulate the Collegium system can be brought," Vikas Singh says during his address on Constitution day

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh during his address on the Constitution Day organised by the Supreme Court raising the issue of appointment of Judges said that appointment of competent people to the judiciary is a constitutional mandate. Suitable legislation to facilitate the appointment of Judges to the Supreme Court and High Court must be put forth.

Supreme Court Bar Association, President, Singh said, "The NJAC was struck down by the Supreme Court on the latter ground only regarding who has the right to appoint."

Singh said that the Bill should provide a Permanent Secretariat both at the High Court and Supreme Court level, to assist them in the matter of appointment of judges as the members of the Collegiums.

"Being senior judges of their respective Court do not have enough spare time for this onerous responsibility," Singh added.

Singh further said, "many times some PILs cover issues which have far reaching consequences and decisions of Supreme Court are taken without any adequate consultation with all the stakeholders."

Adding to this Singh said, "I feel that a parliamentary law to provide for a right of intra court appeal in Supreme Court in matters of determination of rights under Article 32 will provide an opportunity for correcting any errors that may have crept in the original judgments of the Supreme Court under Article 32."

Over the issue of allowing people with criminal backgrounds in the Parliament, Singh said, "situation has come now that persons who are alleged to have broken the law are in fact making laws.

"Person charge-sheeted of heinous crimes should be debarred from contesting elections and persons convicted should also be debarred for life from contesting an election," Singh added.

While concluding his speech, Singh said, "I believe that this country is destined to walk amongst the most developed nations of the world and our response to the COVID pandemic has shown that India has the capability to help the entire world in times of crisis and I am positive that in this new world, India’s time to gain superpower status can no longer be denied by the world."