The Supreme Court declined a plea challenging the Collegium system, designed to safeguard the public’s best interests in judicial appointments.In a six-page order, Registrar Puneet Sehgal cited previous judgments upholding the Collegium system and dismissing a review plea against the 2015 ruling. The order emphasized that litigants should not burden the courts with matters that have already been settled.
NEW DELHI: On 25th April: The Supreme Court Registry refused to accept a petition seeking to abolish the Collegium system of judicial appointments and reinstate the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). The Registrar, Puneet Sehgal, stated that the Collegium system had already been upheld by the court, while the NJAC had been struck down in 2015. The petition, filed by advocate Mathews Nedumpara, was deemed repetitive and an unnecessary burden on the court’s time and resources.
READ ALSO: SC Collegium Recommends Permanent Status for Five Karnataka HC Judges
In a six-page order, Registrar Puneet Sehgal cited previous judgments upholding the Collegium system and dismissing a review plea against the 2015 ruling. The order emphasized that litigants should not burden the courts with matters that have already been settled.
It also suggested that the petitioner’s motives might be driven by an ulterior motive or an attempt to circumvent established legal principles.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court Collegium Recommends New Chief Justices for Five High Courts
Registrar Puneet Sehgal, invoking the Supreme Court Rules of 2013, justified the rejection of the petition. Citing Order XV Rule 5, which allows the Registrar to refuse a petition lacking reasonable cause or containing frivolous or scandalous content, the order explicitly stated the refusal to receive the petition. The petitioner has the option to appeal to the court within 15 days.
The petition, filed in 2023, came in the wake of criticism of the Collegium system by the then-Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju.
READ ALSO: Reshuffle in Supreme Court Collegium: Justices Bose and Gavai Appointed to Key Panels
The plea argued that the Supreme Court’s 2015 judgment disregarded the “will of the people” by striking down the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, which had introduced the NJAC mechanism. The petitioners denounced the Collegium system as synonymous with nepotism and favoritism, calling for the nullification of the 2015 judgment.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
