Recently Supreme Court collegium has decided to upload its decisions on website.
What are the higlights of this move?
Decisions taken by SC including elevation, transfer and confirmation of judges will be uploaded.
The resolution is passed to ensure transparency and yet maintain confidentiality in the Collegium system.
The information posted online will also “indicate” reasons for the recommendation or rejection of a name for judicial appointment, transfer and elevation to High Courts and the Supreme Court.
As a start, the Supreme Court has posted online detailed reasons for judicial appointments to the Madras High Court and the Kerala High Court.
What is the reason behind this move?
The Collegium has been criticised for its opaque mode of functioning while recommending judicial appointments.
Many senior lawyers of the the Supreme Court Bar Association criticised the closed-door decisions of the Collegium.
The mode of functioning of the Collegium had seen criticism, even within the Collegium itself.
This paradigm shift is after the resignation of Karnataka High Court judge shortly after his transfer to the Allahabad High Court.
Way Forward
The proposal to upload the Collegium recommendations faced strong objections within the judicial community itself.
Posting such information online would cause judicial candidates, including senior advocates, sitting judges and judicial officers, acute embarrassment.
