The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the appointment of Justice Kaushik Goswami, currently an Additional Judge, as a Permanent Judge of the Gauhati High Court. The decision was taken at the Collegium’s meeting held on September 23, 2026.
Supreme Court judge Justice Dipankar Datta has observed that the judiciary has been relegated to playing ‘second fiddle’ to the executive in the appointment of judges, because the executive selectively implements collegium recommendations, approving most while withholding at least one. Calling ‘judges appoint judges’ a ‘myth’, he warned that such selective implementation erodes the sanctity of collegium resolutions, while expressing hope that CJI Surya Kant’s collegium would make judicious choices.
Speaking at the 6th Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture, Senior Advocate Harish Salve asked why no criminal case was registered after burnt cash was found at a judge’s residence, and argued that judicial independence cannot mean immunity from accountability. Justice Varma denies wrongdoing and no criminal charge has ever been brought.
The Supreme Court Collegium approved twelve judicial appointment proposals across the Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, including promotions of judicial officers, elevation of advocates to the bench, and regularization of additional judges to strengthen judicial capacity.
