New Delhi: Senior Rajya Sabha MP Haris Beeran on Wednesday accused the Central government of lacking transparency in the judicial appointments process, and alleged that its failure to clear collegium-recommended names has stalled appointments to the Kerala High Court. He also made a strong pitch for increasing judges' salaries to ₹20 lakh per month, arguing that higher pay is essential to attract the country's best legal talent to the Bench.

Participating in the discussion on the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Rajyasabha, Beeran, also a lawyer, said merely increasing the strength of Supreme Court judges would not solve the deeper structural issues affecting the judiciary.

Calling the Bill a “cosmetic change”, he said comprehensive reforms are needed to tackle the mounting backlog of cases across courts.

The IUML MP cited the example of two judges recommended for appointment to the Kerala High Court whose names, he claimed, remain pending with the Central government. While some contend that the Centre has no role in the collegium system, Beeran argued that delaying or refusing to clear recommendations effectively amounts to a non-transparent veto over judicial appointments.

"Such opacity is contributing to vacancies and hampering the functioning of High Courts,” he said.

The MP also called for a substantial increase in the sanctioned strength of judges in High Courts and trial courts to address the growing pendency of cases.

He further demanded that the retirement age of High Court judges be raised from 62 to 65 years, bringing it on par with Supreme Court judges and allowing experienced jurists to continue serving during what he described as the peak of their careers.

Beeran, however, did not complete his speech. In a mark of protest over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's absence from the Rajya Sabha during the discussion, he walked out of the House before concluding his remarks.