Govt plans NEETlike test to recruit judicial officers

IN LIMBO Govt proposal to SC after 60yrold allIndia judicial service plan sees no progress Adoption of the model followed by the CBSE for conducting the National EligibilitycumEntrance Test for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses could be explored

Unable to push through with the plan to have an all-India judicial service for lower courts, the Centre has suggested the Supreme Court to conduct a NEET-like examination to recruit judicial officers.

The all-India judicial service plan is nearly 60 years old and has been left hanging due to lack of convergence between states, the Centre and the higher judiciary. Seven states, including BJPruled Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh, have opposed the formation of an all-India judicial service proposed by the Centre.

“Adoption of the model followed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses could also be explored,” secretary (justice) Snehalata Srivastava recently wrote to the Supreme Court. “As per the process followed by NEET, the CBSE is responsible for conducting the entrance test, declaration of result and preparation of an all-India rank,” Srivastava wrote to the secretary general, Supreme Court.

Among other suggestions, the government has proposed that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) hold the entrance test. The commission conducts the exams for the allIndia services for the bureaucracy and military academies.

At present, there are nearly 5,000 posts of judicial officers vacant — nearly a fourth of the total 21,000 positions — in the subordinate judiciary. Many of those who are recruited as magistrates go on to serve in high courts. There have been concerns over the quality of judicial officers in the district courts as well as about the lack of uniformity in their recruitment. The Centre has absolutely no say in these recruitments which are made by the state service commissions and 24 high courts.

The apex court had set up a committee of judges in January to bring about uniformity in the process of recruitment of judges to lower courts.

On April 8, the government and the representatives of the judiciary held a meeting chaired by Justice Adarsh Goel, who heads the Arrears Committee, in which alternative methods of recruitment were discussed.

The Centre has raised the issue of vacancies in the lower courts to point out that the current recruitment system needs reform. There are nearly three crore cases pending in courts, a ministry source pointed out.