All India Judicial Services

This topic remains in news frequently. For example, check the following news headlines

• 2018 : NITI Aayog in its Report ‘Strategy for New India @75’ mooted the idea of All India Judicial Services (AIJS)
• 2017 : Prime Minister has asked to review the possibility of recruiting judges through an All India Judicial Service (AIJS).

Historical  background

• Original  constitution  didn’t  provide  for  the  creation  of  an  All India Judicial Services  =>  first  suggested  in  Chief  Justices’  Conference in  1961.
• After  Swaran  Singh  Committee’s  recommendations  in  1976,    42nd  Amendment    provided  for  an All India Judicial Services.   
• Law  Commission  of  India  (LCI)  in  its  14th  Report recommended  the  creation  of  All India Judicial Services. 
• Under this
  • District Judges will be recruited centrally through an All India Examination
  • They will then be allocated to each State on the lines of All India Services

Present system 

Lower court judges are recruited by competitive exams conducted by State Public Service Commissions which are inefficient & lack objectivity by themselves & are marred by corruption , nepotism & influence peddling .

Arguments  in  favour  of  All  India  Judicial  Services

1. Shortage of Judges : Existing  system  has  led  to  shortage  of  judges.  There  are  always  20 % vacancies  in  the  courts.
2. In present system , Talent not attracted leading to low quality Subordinate Judiciary 
3. It will provide lot of highly professional judges to be selected for High Court and Supreme Court .
4. Law Commission & Supreme Court Rulings & Committees recommended this
   • Law  Commission  of  India  (LCI)   .
   • Chief Justices Conference
   • Supreme Court Case => All India Judges Association vs Union of India recommended that  an  All India Judicial Services  should  be  set  up
   • Swaran Singh Committee Report 
   • NITI Aayog in its Report ‘Strategy for New India @75’
5. Good example of other All India Services working well (eg : IAS, IPS etc)
6. Creation of highly professional Judiciary of All India Character
7. France has this type of Judicial System and it works with great efficiency

Arguments  against  All  India  Judicial  Services

Some  states  and  High  Courts  have opposed  its  creation  on  the  following  grounds

• Lack of  knowledge  of  regional  languages  would affect  judicial  efficiency
• This  would  lead  to  an  erosion  of  the  control  of  the  high  courts  over  the subordinate  judiciary
• Against Federalism and will lead to excessive Centralisation
• In SC, ST & OBC quota too, regional lowly represented groups in particular states will get marginalised . It is possible that even in North Eastern States, all the ST candidates from other state can get selected
• Avenues  for  promotion  would  be  curtailed  for  those  who  had  already entered  through  the  state  services;

Without  a  push  from  the  judiciary,  the  All India Judicial Services   will  never  come  to  fruition. The  Prime  Minister  and  the  Supreme  Court  are  in  favour  of  All India Judicial Services.  There  is  no time  better  than  now  to  start  doing  something  about  these  problems.

Other alternative

• Why not set up high quality institutions in every state to train fresh recruits before they start hearing cases