The Delhi High Court was today told that shortage of courtrooms and lack of infrastructure in district courts was leading to many positions of judicial officers lying vacant.
A division bench headed by Justice Sanjeev Khanna was told by a counsel representing the high court's administrative department that the vacant posts of judges required in judicial service could not be filled due to lack of infrastructure.
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate R K Kapoor on behalf of six persons including Salil Maheshwari who were selected in the Delhi State Higher Judicial Services but were not considered for appointments.
"The qualified candidates are entitled to be considered for appointments against the vacancies existing in the lower judiciary. The general public has suffered on account of pendency of thousands of cases in the subordinate courts," he said.
The court reserved its order on the petition.
Kapoor said an advertisement was published in 2009 for recruitment of 50 judges in the judicial service, whereas 100 posts were vacant that time.
"A large number of vacancies are existing in the lower judiciary and in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court and in view of the provisions of Articles 141 and 144, the qualified candidates are entitled to be considered for appointments against vacancies existing in the lower judiciary," he argued.
