The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, chaired by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, presented its 133rd report on "Judicial Processes and their Reform" to both Houses Monday.

The representation of backward communities, women and minorities in higher judiciary is below the desired level and does not reflect the country's social diversity, a Parliamentary panel has said in its report.

The committee said the pendency of cases was piling up due to the long vacations of courts is a very serious issue, it flagged vacations of judges and recommended that judges follow a rotational model instead of courts shutting for vacations. 

The panel also recommended bringing a law making it mandatory for Supreme Court and high court judges to disclose their assets annually to an appropriate authority. It said there is a need to institutionalise the mechanism of regular filing of assets by the judges and put it in the public domain. "...the Committee recommends the government to bring about appropriate legislation to make it mandatory for judges of the higher judiciary (Supreme Court and High Courts) to furnish their property returns on an annual basis to the appropriate authority," it said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, chaired by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, presented its 133rd report on "Judicial Processes and their Reform" to both Houses Monday.

The representation of backward communities, women and minorities in higher judiciary is below the desired level and does not reflect the country's social diversity, a Parliamentary panel has said in its report.

The committee said the pendency of cases was piling up due to the long vacations of courts is a very serious issue, it flagged vacations of judges and recommended that judges follow a rotational model instead of courts shutting for vacations. 

The panel also recommended bringing a law making it mandatory for Supreme Court and high court judges to disclose their assets annually to an appropriate authority. It said there is a need to institutionalise the mechanism of regular filing of assets by the judges and put it in the public domain. "...the Committee recommends the government to bring about appropriate legislation to make it mandatory for judges of the higher judiciary (Supreme Court and High Courts) to furnish their property returns on an annual basis to the appropriate authority," it said.