A controversy which broke out last week over a proposal by Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit for the appointment of four new judges in the Supreme Court by seeking written consent of his fellow judges in the collegium appeared laid to rest on Monday with a resolution uploaded on the court website. The document said CJI Lalit sent the letter to the other four members of the collegium after a September 30 meeting could not be finished. The
A controversy which broke out last week over a proposal by Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit for the appointment of four new judges in the Supreme Court by seeking written consent of his fellow judges in the collegium appeared laid to rest on Monday with a resolution uploaded on the court website. The document said CJI Lalit sent the letter to the other four members of the collegium after a September 30 meeting could not be finished. The proposal — which contained the names of four prospective judges — received the assent of three members of the panel, CJI Lalit and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph. But two others, justices DY Chandrachud and SA Nazeer, objected to the selection process without expressing any opinion on the candidates. The statement mentioned that the matter was ideally suited to an “across the table” discussion between the judges and in light of the government asking CJI Lalit to name his successor late last week, the matter was closed.
The episode was unparalleled because collegium members — the senior most five judges of the court — sign resolutions in person after zeroing in on the names. Transparency and clarity are important goals for an institution that has battled some criticism in the past over its relatively opaque deliberations. Understandably, the collegium is tasked with the pivotal task of appointing the judges to the highest court in the land, and deliberations need to be made in confidence given the sensitivity of the discussions. Therefore, efforts to set up institutional mechanisms to scotch any outward speculation and rumours are welcome and will be helpful.
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