Prayagraj, Feb 13 (PTI) The High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Allahabad has written a letter to the President, with a copy to the Union law minister and the chief justice of India, expressing strong reservations regarding the proposal accepted by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointing five retired Allahabad HC judges on ad-hoc basis in the HC under Article 224-A of the Constitution.
In the representation/letter dated February 5, 2026, the HCBA termed the Collegium's statement as 'inexplicable' and one which "has been a cause for consternation to the legal fraternity in the state".
The Allahabad HCBA has asserted that the Supreme Court Collegium's invocation of Article 224-A of the Constitution is in contravention of that provision which provides that the appointment of an ad hoc judge is the domain of the chief justice of the high court with the President's prior consent.
The letter adds that the five choices appear to have been picked out of the blue from amongst a pool of retired judges unaccompanied by any exercise of choosing the best from the available pool of retired judges.
Challenging the merit of the names proposed, the Bar Association stated that the names "fail to inspire confidence in the ability of the recommended persons to clear pendency of cases".
The letter-cum-representation specifically submitted that if appointments are made from the pool of retired Judges, recent retirees will be found to have better and more effective disposal on merits than the chosen five.
"A search on the net shows a minuscule number of cases having been decided by at least four of five judges during their tenure of almost two years as high court judges," the letter adds.