Supreme Court to hear pleas for and against NJAC today

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will commence the hearing on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act on Wednesday. The apex court hearing will be taking place two days after the NDA Government notified this law which replaced existing Collegium System on appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.

The bench is expected to examine the validity of the new measure. On April 7, a three-judge bench of the apex court had referred the matter to a five-judge Constitution Bench, the batch of petitions challenging the validity of NJAC Act to replace the two-decade-old Collegium System.

Under the old Collegium System, five top judges of the apex court used to recommend the transfer and elevation of judges to the Supreme Court and the 24 High Courts. The NJAC was signed into an Act by President Pranab Mukherjee on December 31, 2014.

According to the new act, two eminent persons will be nominated to the NJAC as members by the committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha or the leader of single largest Opposition party. The eminent persons will be nominated for a period of three years and will not be eligible for renomination.

The NJAC will be headed by the Chief Justice of India.