In a historic step for judicial transparency, the Supreme Court has published full details of judge appointments to High Courts and the Supreme Court from November 2022 to May 2025, making the entire process public.
New Delhi: In a major move towards transparency in the judiciary, the Supreme Court of India has uploaded the full process of appointing judges to both the High Courts and the Supreme Court on its official website.
This step has been taken to increase public understanding and trust in the appointment process. The Court has not only shared the step-by-step procedure but also explained the involvement of different authorities like the State Governments, the Central Government, and the Collegium system.
Through this initiative, anyone can now access and learn how judges are selected and approved. It provides full clarity on how the High Court Collegium functions, what suggestions come from the State and Central Governments, and how these inputs are finally examined by the Supreme Court Collegium before making the appointments.
In addition to the general process, the Supreme Court has also shared the actual proposals approved by the Collegium during the last two and a half years.
These proposals include a detailed list of the judges who were appointed to various High Courts between 9th November 2022 and 5th May 2025.
The list contains important information such as the name of the judge, the concerned High Court, and whether the judge was selected from judicial service or legal practice.
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The uploaded records also show when the Collegium recommended a candidate, when the Department of Justice issued the official notification, and the final date of appointment. The list also mentions if the person belongs to a reserved or special category such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority, or Woman.
Moreover, the database clearly states whether the judge is related to any sitting or retired judge of the High Court or the Supreme Court.
Apart from sharing the appointment process and names, the Supreme Court has also taken a historic decision to make the asset declarations of its judges public. This decision was taken by the Full Court of the Supreme Court on 1st April 2025.
The asset statements of judges that have already been submitted are now being uploaded on the Supreme Court’s official website. The statements of the remaining judges will also be uploaded as and when they are received.
This step by the Supreme Court is being seen as a strong message in favour of openness and judicial accountability. By placing such important data in the public domain, the Court has taken a firm step to make the judiciary more transparent and responsible before the people of India.
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