New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said the process of appointing high court judges was not akin to a "normal recruitment" in a "public service" and the judicial system was alive to their shortage.

Dealing with a PIL seeking expeditiously filling of judicial vacancies, a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the petitioner to leave the matter to its administrative side for efforts to address the issue were on.

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"These are high constitutional offices. These are not normal recruitment to public service. You can't say that respondent no 1 (Centre) and 2 (high court) are not alive to the situation," the bench said.

The bench went on, "I would request you to leave the matter to respondent 1 and 2 on the administrative side. Everyone associated with the judicial system is alive to the situation. It is not that efforts are not being made."

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Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said the Supreme Court was already dealing with the broader issues related to the appointment of judges.

The petitioner, advocate Amit Sahni, sought to withdraw the plea and move the top court.

"Accordingly, nothing needs to be adjudicated in this petition. The petition is disposed of," the court held.

The PIL sought urgent judicial intervention with respect to the "alarming and chronic shortage" of judges in the high court, saying it "adversely impacted the timely dispensation of justice and the functioning of the judiciary".

According to the sanctioned strength, the PIL said, the Delhi High Court ought to have 60 judges, including 45 permanent and 15 additional judges, but it was functioning with only 36 judges.

"It is currently functioning with only 36 judges, reflecting a vacancy rate of 40 per cent. This serious shortfall has arisen due to retirements, recent inter court transfers, and inaction in appointing judges despite the constitutional mandate and existing memorandum of procedure requiring appointments to be initiated well before vacancies arise," it said.

The petition mentioned several judges had retired recently and three others -- Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice C D Singh and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma -- were transferred to other high courts.

Two more retirements are expected in the coming months, which will reduce the strength to merely 34 judges, further exacerbating pendency and judicial delays, it said.

The plea urged the court to direct the authorities concerned for expeditious action in filling the judicial vacancies by elevating eligible district judges and advocates from the bar, thereby ensuring effective functioning of the high court.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)