CJI B.R. Gavai said interacting with judicial candidates is really helpful, noting that even a 10 to 15 minute talk can give valuable insights. He stressed the collegium’s practice improves transparency and ensures better judicial appointments.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R. Gavai highlighted the recent practice of the collegium personally interacting with candidates for high court appointments as “really helpful.”
He noted that even a brief conversation of 10 to 15 minutes can provide valuable insights into a nominee’s potential contributions to society.
During the Independence Day celebrations at the Supreme Court complex, CJI Gavai emphasized that this practice, revived in December 2024 and now integral to the appointments process, has enhanced the collegium’s ability to evaluate candidates’ temperament, outlook, and commitment beyond mere service records or qualifications.
He stated,
“In our opinion, after interaction with them for 10-15 minutes, or half an hour, we can find out as to how suitable they will be to contribute to society.”
This initiative was started during Justice Sanjiv Khanna’s term as CJI and has continued under Gavai’s leadership.
In a recent round of meetings in July, the collegium, which includes CJI Gavai and justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, met with over 50 judicial officers and lawyers in just two days, marking a record for the highest number of face-to-face interactions for high court appointments. Candidates were evaluated for high courts in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab & Haryana, Patna, Rajasthan, and others.
According to sources familiar with the process, the collegium members posed a variety of questions covering constitutional values, pressing legal issues, ethics, and institutional responsibilities.
CJI Gavai stated that this approach reflects the collegium’s commitment to evolving and adopting measures to improve the efficiency and transparency of the judges’ selection process.
In response to a suggestion from Supreme Court Bar Association president Vikas Singh for a body to compile names of potential appointees to constitutional courts, the CJI pointed out that several lawyers from the apex court have recently been appointed to various high courts, with more recommendations forthcoming.
He stressed that while the Supreme Court collegium can propose names to high court collegiums, the ultimate decision rests with the latter.
He stated,
“The Supreme Court is not a superior court to the high court. Both are constitutional courts… Therefore, the first call has to be taken by the high court collegium. We only recommend the names… and only after their satisfaction do the names come to the Supreme Court,”
The reinstatement of in-person interactions last December came in response to a controversy surrounding Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court, whose communal comments at a public event earlier that month attracted significant criticism.
At that time, the collegium, led by Justice Khanna and including Justices Gavai and Kant, viewed these interviews as a means to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate’s suitability.
Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, SCBA Vice-President and Senior Advocate Rahul Kaushik, and SCBA Secretary Pragya Baghel were also in attendance at the event.
In the latter part of his speech, CJI Gavai addressed the judiciary’s role in safeguarding constitutional values. He urged judges to interpret laws in ways that “expand freedom, protect the rights of the marginalized, and strengthen the rule of law.”
He called on both judges and lawyers to honor the legacy of the freedom struggle’s legal pioneers, who “argued fearlessly, challenged injustice, and defended the rights of the vulnerable.”
He envisioned an India where “no child is denied education because of her caste or poverty, no woman “walks in fear, by day or by night, and no citizen is too small to be heard.”
He emphasized,
“Judges have the solemn duty not just to enforce the law, but also to actively uphold and embody liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
Encouraging legal professionals to understand that even seemingly minor disputes can have profound implications for life, dignity, or survival, the CJI, said,
“Our history teaches us that the struggle for freedom was not only a political movement but also a moral and legal endeavour… This legacy must guide the lawyers of today,”
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