"From time to time, complaints are received in the Department of Justice (in the law ministry) against sitting as well as retired judges of Supreme Court and high courts. Department of Justice is concerned only with the appointment and service conditions of the sitting judges of the Supreme Court and high courts," he said.

He also said complaints related to the retired judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts are not handled by the Department of Justice.

Accountability in higher judiciary is maintained through an "in-house mechanism", he said, recalling that the Supreme Court in its full court meeting on May 7, 1997 had adopted two resolutions -- one dealing with restatement of values of judicial life and the other with in-house procedure for taking suitable remedial action against judges who do not follow universally accepted values of judicial life.

As per the established "in-house mechanism" for the higher judiciary, the chief justice of India is competent to receive complaints against the conduct of judges of the Supreme Court and the chief justices of the high courts.

Similarly, the chief justices of the high courts are competent to receive complaints against the conduct of high court judges.

"The complaints/representations received by Department of Justice are forwarded to the Chief Justice of India or to the chief justice of the concerned high courts, as the case may be, for appropriate action," he said.