4/14/2015

Whatisthecollegiumsystem?

Whatisthecollegiumsystem?

ItisasystemunderwhichappointmentsandtransfersofjudgesaredecidedbyaforumoftheChiefJusticeof
IndiaandthefourseniormostjudgesoftheSupremeCourt.IthasnoplaceintheIndianConstitution.
What does the Constitution actually prescribe? Article 124 deals with the appointment of Supreme Court
judges.ItsaystheappointmentshouldbemadebythePresidentafterconsultationwithsuchjudgesoftheHigh
Courts and the Supreme Court as the President may deem necessary. The CJI is to be consulted in all
appointments,excepthisorherown.
Article217dealswiththeappointmentofHighCourtjudges.ItsaysajudgeshouldbeappointedbythePresident
afterconsultationwiththeCJIandtheGovernorofthestate.TheChiefJusticeoftheHighCourtconcernedtoo
shouldbeconsulted.
How and when did the other system evolve? The collegium system has its genesis in a series of three
judgmentsthatisnowclubbedtogetherastheThreeJudgesCases.TheSPGuptacase(December30,1981)is
calledtheFirstJudgesCase.ItdeclaredthattheprimacyoftheCJIsrecommendationtothePresidentcanbe
refusedforcogentreasons.Thisbroughtaparadigmshiftinfavouroftheexecutivehavingprimacyoverthe
judiciaryinjudicialappointmentsforthenext12years.
How did the judiciary come to get primacy? On October 6, 1993, came a ninejudge bench decision in the
SupremeCourtAdvocatesonRecordAssociationvsUnionofIndiacasetheSecondJudgesCase.Thiswas
whatusheredinthecollegiumsystem.ThemajorityverdictwrittenbyJusticeJSVermasaidjusticiabilityand
primacy required that the CJI be given the primal role in such appointments. It overturned the S P Gupta
judgment,sayingtheroleoftheCJIisprimalinnaturebecausethisbeingatopicwithinthejudicialfamily,the
executive cannot have an equal say in the matter. Here the word consultation would shrink in a mini form.
Should the executive have an equal role and be in divergence of many a proposal, germs of indiscipline would
growinthejudiciary.
Howfinalwasthis?JusticeVermasmajorityjudgmentsawdissentwithinthebenchitselfontheindividualrole
oftheCJI.InatotaloffivejudgmentsdeliveredintheSecondJudgescase,JusticeVermaspokeforonlyhimself
andfourotherjudges.JusticePandianandJusticeKuldipSinghwentontowriteindividualjudgmentssupporting
the majority view. But Justice Ahmadi had dissented and Justice Punchhi took the view that the CJI need not
restricthimselftojusttwojudges(asmentionedintheruling)andcanconsultanynumberofjudgesifhewants
to,ornoneatall.
Forthenextfiveyears,therewasconfusionontherolesoftheCJIandthetwojudgesinjudicialappointments
and transfers. In many cases, CJIs took unilateral decisions without consulting two colleagues. Besides, the
Presidentbecameonlyanapprover.
Whatwasdonetodealwiththeconfusion?In1998,PresidentKRNarayananissuedapresidentialreference
totheSupremeCourtastowhatthetermconsultationreallymeansinArticles124,217and222(transferof
HCjudges)oftheConstitution.Thequestionwasifthetermconsultationrequiresconsultationwithanumber
of judges in forming the CJIs opinion, or whether the sole opinion of the CJI constituted the meaning of the
articles. In reply, the Supreme Court laid down nine guidelines for the functioning of the coram for
appointments/transfers;thiscametobethepresentformofthecollegiums.
Besides,ajudgmentdatedOctober28,1998,writtenbyJusticeSPBharuchaattheheadoftheninejudgebench,
usedtheopportunitytostronglyreinforcetheconceptofprimacyofthehighestjudiciaryovertheexecutive.
ThiswastheThirdJudgesCase.
Whataretheargumentsagainstthecollegiumsystem?
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4/14/2015

Whatisthecollegiumsystem?

Expertspointtosystemicerrorssuchas:
*Theadministrativeburdenofappointingandtransferringjudgeswithoutaseparatesecretariatorintelligence
gathering mechanism dedicated to collection of and checking personal and professional backgrounds of
prospectiveappointees;
*Acloseddooraffairwithoutaformalandtransparentsystem;
*ThelimitationofthecollegiumsfieldofchoicetotheseniormostjudgesfromtheHighCourtforappointments
totheSupremeCourt,overlookingseveraltalentedjuniorjudgesandadvocates.
Whatmovesweretakentocorrectthese?
The Law Commission in its 214th Report on Proposal for Reconsideration of Judges cases I, II and III
recommendedtwosolutions:
*ToseekareconsiderationofthethreejudgmentsbeforetheSupremeCourt.
*AlawtorestoretheprimacyoftheChiefJusticeofIndiaandthepoweroftheexecutivetomakeappointments.
Whatisthesuggestedalternativetothecollegium?
ANationalJudicialCommissionremainsaproposal.TheConstitution(98thAmendment)Billwasintroducedin
theLokSabhabytheNDAgovernmentin2003.ItprovidedfortheconstitutionofanNJCtobechairedbytheCJI
andwithtwooftheseniormostjudgesoftheSupremeCourtasitsmembers.TheUnionLawMinisterwouldbea
memberalongwithaneminentcitizentobenominatedbythePresidentinconsultationwiththePrimeMinister.
TheCommissionwoulddecidetheappointmentandtransferofjudgesandprobecasesofmisconductbyjudges,
includingthosefromthehighestjudiciary.

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