Process Of Appointment Of Judges To Become More Transparent: CJI Chandrachud

While delivering the Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture on Friday, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asserted that the process of appointment of judges will become more transparent. He also further assured that objective parameters would be laid down for the appointment of judges to the high courts and the Supreme Court.

"Our aim is to lay down objective parameters for selection of judges for SC, HCs," Chandrachud said. 

Moreover, the CJI today also asserted it was wrong to say that the Supreme Court collegium has no factual data to evaluate the candidates being considered for appointment as judges of the top court and high courts.

"Too often individuals come and lay down ideas only to be forgotten when they pass on the baton to the next person. Institutionalising courts enhances transparency and accountability," he said.

The new recruitment process

Accoridng to him, the collegium has prepared a broad platform where it has assessed top 50 judges of country for consideration as apex court judges and the assessment will be done on the basis of data available on the judges and judgments delivered by them.

It has beel told that the centre for planning and research has begun working on a broad platform to assess the top judges of the country who are eligible for the appointments.

A dossier will be prepared with the objective criteria for appointments to the high courts and the Supreme Court, DY Chandrachud said, adding that top 50 judges of the country will be assessed for appointment to the top court.

Previously, the Supreme Court Collegium was strongly criticised for allegedly fostering a "closed-door system” where “judges appoint judges" and for not being transparent and accountable enough.

There have been several calls for a revamp of the Collegium system, with former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi saying that the system for the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court and high courts is out of sync.