The Supreme Court collegium for appointing judges has hit a speed bump with Justice Jasti Chelameswar boycotting it on grounds that it lacks transparency. Unless this standoff is resolved it will hold up elevations to the Supreme Court and transfers to the high courts. The judiciary and the executive are at loggerheads over appointment of judges. While the government wants greater say in the appointments, the judiciary is of the view that it should have the last say on the matter. Justice Chelameswar, who is one of the collegium members, is of the view that the government must have a say in the appointment of judges and has also demanded that minutes of the meeting of the collegium be recorded. He stated that collegium members must clearly state why they choose one judge over another. The chief drawback of the collegium was that it lacked transparency which resulted in a series of controversial appointments. In order to overcome this, the government introduced the national judicial appointments commission, but the law was struck down by the apex court. Justice Chelamsewar’s demand is a simple one and if conceded will bring more transparency and lift the prestige of the collegium. It deserves consideration.
