According to reports, the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, has introduced changes, including a decision that close relatives of current or former judges will not be appointed as High Court judges. Additionally, the Collegium has started directly interacting with candidates recommended by High Courts for elevation to the bench.
NEW DELHI: Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi has praised the recent efforts by the Supreme Court Collegium to reform the process of appointing judges to India’s Constitutional courts.
According to reports, the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, has introduced changes, including a decision that close relatives of current or former judges will not be appointed as High Court judges. Additionally, the Collegium has started directly interacting with candidates recommended by High Courts for elevation to the bench.
Singhvi expressed his support for these measures through a tweet, describing the proposals as “seemingly radical” and emphasizing their importance.
He said, “Both the proposals ‘seemingly radical, are good and should be implemented sooner rather than later.’”
Addressing the challenges in the judicial appointment process, Singhvi remarked,
“Reality of judicial appointments is much murkier and much much more non objective than originally conceived. Mutual Back scratching, uncle judges, family lineages etc. demoralise others and bring disrepute to institution. But easier said than done: till now we are unable to even ban lawyer relatives practicing in same HC as judge relatives. Time and again the system has proved stronger than desirable impulses for reform (sic).”
As an MP and a seasoned lawyer, Singhvi also recalled a suggestion he made years ago about improving the evaluation process for judicial candidates. He proposed that Collegium judges observe candidates anonymously in courtrooms to assess their performance.
He stated, “I wrote decades ago that Collegium judges should disguise themselves and sit in courts of those judges being considered for elevation or lawyers in action before elevation. Like some sultans of old used to do in ancient times to learn what are the real problems of their fief (sic).”
Singhvi welcomed the Collegium’s decision to personally interact with the candidates under consideration for judgeship.
He noted, “We would all be astonished (&scared) at the hiatus between cv &reality, between paper appraisal vs court performance. Interviews proposed now not as good as my suggestion but at least second best, though surprise checks in disguise not entirely unrealistic! (sic).”
The Supreme Court Collegium, which oversees appointments to the higher judiciary, currently includes CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justices BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy, and Abhay S Oka.
These reforms aim to increase transparency and objectivity in the judicial appointments process while addressing long-standing concerns about nepotism and favoritism in the judiciary. Singhvi’s remarks reflect a broader hope for meaningful and timely implementation of these reforms.
