BackSupreme Court to consider setting up National Court of Appeals
A notice has also been issued to the centre for its response on the issue
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider the possibility of setting up a National Court of Appeals with regional seats in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.
A public interest litigation by advocate V. Vasanthakumar argued that the move will help in clearing pendency of cases in the apex court. As of March 2015, 61,300 cases are pending before the apex court.
A bench led by chief justice T.S. Thakur has sought the assistance of the government’s top law officer, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi. Senior lawyers Salman Khurshid and K.K. Venugopal have also been asked to assist the court. A notice has also been issued to the centre for its response on the issue.
The idea that the apex court should entertain cases involving questions of constitutional law and public law and not appeals against orders of lower courts has been considered previously.
In 1987, then chief justice P.N. Bhagwati, in the case of Bihar Legal Support Society versus chief justice of India, supported this view.
“The Supreme Court was never intended to be a regular court of appeal against orders made by the high court or the sessions court or the magistrates. It was created as an apex court for the purpose of laying down the law for the entire country," Bhagwati said in a five-judge bench verdict.
The court did not specify a date for the next hearing.
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