From the Editor's Desk

The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday cleared the appointment of five retired judges as ad hoc judges of the Allahabad High Court, invoking Article 224A of the Constitution — a provision that has been used only sparingly in India’s judicial history.

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The appointments have been approved for a two-year term. Those recommended are:-

1. Justice Mohd. Faiz Alam Khan

2. Justice Mohd. Aslam

3. Justice Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi

4. Justice Renu Agarwal

5. Justice Jyotsna Sharma.

The move comes as the Allahabad High Court continues to face a substantial backlog of cases, with criminal matters forming a major share of the pendency.

In its 2021 ruling in Lok Prahari v Union of India, the Supreme Court of India laid down guidelines governing the use of Article 224A, which allows a High Court Chief Justice — with prior consent of the President — to request a former High Court judge to return to the bench to “sit and act” as a judge for hearing cases.

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More recently, the Supreme Court of India has issued clarifications aimed at easing the operational use of the mechanism. In January 2025, it relaxed the earlier requirement that vacancies must exceed 20% of the sanctioned strength before ad hoc appointments can be considered. In December 2025, it further clarified that ad hoc judges may either preside over single-judge benches or sit on division benches alongside serving judges.