SC notice to Centre on establishing National Court of Appeal

The Supreme Court today sought response from the Centre on a PIL seeking setting up of National Court of Appeal with regional benches in major cities to decide cases arising from high courts.
A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, which issued notice to the Ministry of Law and Justice, also appointed senior advocates K K Venugopal and Salman Khurshid as amicus curiae in the matter.
The apex court's direction came while hearing a PIL by Puducherry-based V Vasanthakumar who pressed for establishment of a National Court of appeal at Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata and quashing of the government order which had rejected his proposal for the same.

In February 2014, Kumar had moved the apex court with the same prayer when it had disposed of the matter directing the Centre to respond to his suggestion within six months.
Later, the Centre rejected his suggestion on the ground that it would require an amendment in Article 130 of the Constitution of India which "is impermissible as this would change the Constitution of the Supreme Court completely."
Vasanthakumar has now approached the apex court again seeking quashing of this decision of the Central government.
"The petitioner most respectfully submits that establishment of a 'National Court of Appeal' as suggested in the case of Bihar Legal Support Society would rectify the inequality in the state of affairs inasmuch as the said National Court of Appeal would have benches in all possible regions of the country.

"This would considerably reduce the cost of litigation and would enable the litigants to have the services of the lawyer who appeared for them before the High Court," the plea said.