Pranab Mukherjee gives nod to Judicial Appointments Bill

NEW DELHI: The Constitutional amendment Bill that seeks to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to higher judiciary has received Presidential nod.

The National Judicial Appointments Commission ( NJAC) bill passed by Parliament in August this year has received President's assent, official sources said.

The new law facilitates the setting up of a commission for appointment of judges, replacing the 20-year-old collegium system, which has been under severe criticism.

It paves the way for the setting up of NJAC, which will appoint and transfer judges to the Supreme Courts and the 24 High Courts.

The bill, 124th amendment to the Constitution, grants Constitutional status to the NJAC and its composition which will be headed by the Chief Justice of India.

As many as 16 of the 29 states have ratified the bill. Any Constitutional amendment bill requires ratification by at least 50 per cent of the state legislatures.

Besides the CJI, the judiciary would be represented by two senior judges of the Supreme Court. Two eminent personalities and the Law Minister will be the other members of the body.