Explained| Ad Hoc Judges In High Courts : Procedure For Appointment & Tenure

To tackle the mounting pendency of criminal appeals, the Supreme Court in a significant order today relaxed the conditions of appointment of ad hoc judges in High Courts. The Court suspended the condition imposed in its 2021 judgment as per which ad hoc appointments can be made only if the vacancies in the High Court are more than 20% of the sanctioned strength. Article 224A deals with the appointment of retired High Court Judges as ad hoc judges of the High Court. Today's order clarified that each High Court can appoint around 2-5 ad-hoc judges, provided the number does not exceed 10% of the sanctioned strength of the concerned High Court.