HC moved for appointing ad-hoc judges

The Madras High Court on Wednesday admitted a petition seeking a direction for creating and maintaining a live database of retired high court judges for appointment as ad-hoc judges to address the problem of pendency of cases. A bench comprising Justices Huluvadi G.

Ramesh and S. Vaidyanathan admitted the petition filed by V B R Menon, an advocate, after he complied with its directive to remove the high court Chief Justice as a respondent. It posted the matter for further hearing to first week of next month.

The petitioner submitted the existing mandatory retirement age of 62 for judges was necessitating frequent replacements and consequently more shortages in the availability of sitting judges resulting in huge pendency of cases in the high court's Principal seat here and the Madurai Bench.

By appointing retired judges as ad-hoc judges the problems of pendency of cases can be reduced and dealt with effectively and high court would also benefit from their vast judicial experience, he said.

He said he had made a representation in this regard to the Chief Justice through his personal Secretary on March 4, 2015. He prayed the court for a direction for appointment of required number of ad-hoc judges.