Few good men stood tall when city was in chaos

JAIPUR: An angry mob was making its way through the serpentine alleys of the Walled City, setting up vehicles ablaze while pelting stones at policemen.

What started with a couple being accidentally hit by a police baton on Friday night, was shaping up into something that Jaipur in general and Ramganj area in particular could do without.

Already several policemen had been injured in clashes and one person killed, allegedly in firing by the forces.

But on that fateful night, a few good men stood between the rampaging mob and a potentially disastrous aftermath where many more lives could have been lost. As per the procedure being followed, the collegia of the 24 high courts send recommendations to the law ministry on candidates — advocates or members of lower judiciary — for appointment as high court judges.

The ministry then attaches a report from the Intelligence Bureau on the record of the prospective candidate and forwards it to the Supreme Court collegium — a body of India’s top five judges headed by the Chief Justice of India — which takes a final call on the appointments.

The HC collegia also send performance record of the candidates. For members of the bar, it is the cases they have argued and for lower court judges, it is the judgments they have issued. Now, the in-house legal team of the ministry will subject these records to tougher scrutiny.