ITAT President Easwar is now Delhi High Court Judge
Legal Corner Icon — the image was hosted by the publisher and was not captured.THE President has appointed the ITAT President RV Easwar as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court. It is a matter of pride that a Tax Tribunal Member has been made a High Court judge. Ideally, we should have more Tribunal Members appointed as High Court judges. The Tribunal Members acquire unparalleled knowledge and acumen in deciding tax matters and their services should be used in the High Courts and even the Supreme Court.
But unfortunately, it is only in the rarest of rare occasions that a Tribunal Member is elevated to the High Court.
Incidentally, the first President of the ITAT (in 1940) Muhammed Munir was made Chief Justice of Lahore High Court in undivided India and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1954.
Perhaps we should have a few posts of Judges in the High Courts and Supreme Court earmarked for ITAT and CESTAT Members.
Even the present appointment of Easwar as a judge of the Delhi High Court was not without controversy. There was even a writ in the High Court challenging his proposed appointment. But is the office of an additional judge of the High Court an elevation for the ITAT President? As ITAT President, he was heading a tribunal having over a hundred judges and usually the CESTAT is headed by a retired Chief Justice!