The Kerala Assistant Public Prosecutors Association has put up a petition before the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud arguing that the practice of appointing public prosecutors on a contract basis should be banned.

Making the State of Kerala as the respondent, the association has submitted that in several cases the very process of public prosecution becomes a private matter when regular PPs are not available.

It said that this happened when there existed recommendations by various commissions on the importance of promoting assistant public prosecutors on a permanent basis.

The association demanded doing away with the system of temporary and contract appointments and called for a system with a permanent cadre of public prosecutors headed by a Director of Prosecution.

The matter has been adjourned for the day.

–        India Legal Bureau