PRAYAGRAJ, March 6 -- The Chief Justice of Allahabad high court, Justice Arun Bhansali, on Thursday stepped aside from hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a directive for the timely appointment of 81 judges in the high court. The vacancies account for over half of the sanctioned strength of 160 judges.

Following his recusal, the PIL filed by senior advocate Satish Trivedi will now be heard by another division bench, where the chief justice is not a member.

During the proceedings, senior advocate SFA Naqvi represented the petitioner when the matter was taken up.

The petition described the situation in the high court as the "gravest crisis in its history" and called for binding guidelines to streamline judicial appointment...