NATIONAL

Published:June25,201423:25IST|Updated:June25,201423:25IST
NEWDELHI,June25,2014

Thevalidityofthecollegiumsystem
KrishnadasRajagopal
TheCollegiumsystemisonewheretheChiefJusticeofIndiaandaforumoffourseniormostjudgesoftheSupremeCourtrecommend
appointmentsandtransfersofjudges.However,ithasnoplaceintheIndianConstitution.
ThesystemwasevolvedthroughSupremeCourtjudgmentsintheThreeJudgesCases:S.P.Guptacase(December30,1981)ortheFirst
JudgesCase:ItdeclaredthattheprimacyoftheCJIsrecommendationonjudicialappointmentsandtransferscanberefusedforcogent
reasons.TherulinggavetheExecutiveprimacyovertheJudiciaryinjudicialappointmentsforthenext12years.
SupremeCourtAdvocatesonRecordAssociationversusUnionofIndiaortheSecondJudgesCase(October6,1993):Themajorityverdict
gavebackCJIspoweroverjudicialappointmentsandtransfers.ItsaystheCJIonlyneedtoconsulttwoseniormostjudges.Theroleofthe
CJIisprimalinnaturebecausethisbeingatopicwithinthejudicialfamily,theExecutivecannothaveanequalsayinthematter,theverdict
reasoned.However,confusionprevailsastheCJIsstarttakingunilateraldecisionswithoutconsultingtwocolleagues.ThePresidentis
reducedtoonlyanapprover.
InSpecialReferencecaseof1998ortheThreeJudgesCase(October28,1998):OnareferencefromformerPresidentK.R.Narayanan,the
SupremeCourtlaysdownthattheCJIsshouldconsultwithapluralityoffourseniormostSupremeCourtjudgestoformhisopinionon
judicialappointmentsandtransfers.
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