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Speaking at the 39th Chief Justices Conference, Chief Justice of India, Justice NV Ramana today requested the Chief Justices of various High Courts in the country, which are still having vacancies, to forward the names of the judges for elevation at the earliest.

In his welcome address, the CJI went on to highlight the issue of vacancies in High Courts.

Stressing that time and again he has requested the Chief Justices (CJs) to expedite the process of recommending names of the judges for elevation to High Courts, with an emphasis on social diversity, CJI Ramana said,

"I am happy to note that the response from some of the High Courts has been extremely encouraging. Due to our collective efforts, we could fill 126 vacancies in various High Courts in less than a year. We are expecting 50 more appointments. This remarkable feat could be achieved because of your wholehearted co-operation and commitment to the institution."

He added that in the past one year, nine new judges were appointed to the Supreme Court and 10 new Chief Justices for the High Courts, and for this he thanked his brothers in the Collegium for their cooperation.  

Further, CJI Ramana said that this conference was long overdue and the presence of all participants at such short notice showed their commitment to strengthening the judicial institution and improving the justice delivery system.

At the instant conference, the CJs are all set to discuss and identify the problems that are affecting the administration of justice. In addition to taking stock of the progress made in the implementation of the resolutions adopted six years ago,  six new agenda items will also be taken up for discussion, like strengthening of IT infrastructure and connectivity at all court complexes pan India on priority basis, needs of district courts, creating state-of-the-art judicial infrastructure, appointment of High Court Judges, and emoluments of High Court Judges and augmenting post retiral benefits for them.

Justice UU Lalit and Justice AM Khanwilkar along with the CJI guided the discussions on these agendas.