It’s time for quota for SCs, STs in judiciary: Law Minister

Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union Law Minister, has proposed an All-India Judicial Service examination.  This has been a reform idea that many experts in the country have favoured for decades. Although the Constitution provides for it, it hasn’t been implemented.  If an all-India judicial service is introduced, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the exam to recruit judicial officers. UPSC is the Constitutional body that conducts exams for all-India civil services (such as IAS).

And once UPSC starts conducting recruitment exams, quota for SCs and STs and even OBCs will be in order.  Speaking to a national daily, the Law Minister has said that reservations will provide opportunities to deprived sections to be recruited as additional district and district judges.

Reacting to Law Minister’s comments, Jayaprakash Narayan of Loksatta said, “Indian Judicial Service is long overdue. Our Founding Fathers specifically mentioned it in the Constitution. The prestige of All India Service will attract the best talent to trial courts, and it will be recruiting ground for higher judiciary.”