The Supreme Court today questioned the Narendra Modi government for not consulting it while appointing a new chairman of the monitoring authority, looking into the investigations of 22 encounter killings in Gujarat during 2002-06.

The apex court expressed its displeasure over appointment of former Bombay High Court Chief Justice K R Vayas in place of former apex court judge, Justice M B Shah, who had quit as the panel's head on personal and health grounds. A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai said that the apex court should also have been told about the proposal for the appointment of new chairman.

Counsel for the Gujarat government informed the bench that the notification for appointment of Justice Vayas, former chairman of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission was issued yesterday following Justice Shah's refusal to continue as chairman and as per the January 25 order of the apex court, the monitoring panel had to file its interim report in a time bound manner.

The bench, however, said the appointment should have been made by consulting the court as it had passed the order.