NEW DELHI: Generally, it is not a practice to seek reports from the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) on proposals for appointment of judges in high courts and the Supreme Court, except in extraordinary circumstances involving issues related to national security, law minister Kiren Rijiju said on Friday.
He was responding to a question in Lok Sabha by Congress MP Manish Tewari. “The Supreme Court Collegium vide its minutes dated January 18 cited reports of the RAW, which inter alia mentioned the sexuality of an advocate whose name has been recommended for appointment as judge of Delhi HC,” Rijiju said. He did not name this candidate whose name was recommended for elevation.
Citing an intelligence report, the government has not yet cleared the proposal sent by the SC Collegium despite its reiteration of the name, for having national security implications.
Rijiju said the memorandum of procedure for appointment of judges of the high courts has laid down that all appointments are to be considered in the light of such other reports/ inputs as may be available to the government for assessing the suitability in respect of the names under consideration.