Collegium Has Assessed Top 50 Judges For Elevation To Supreme Court: CJI Chandrachud

New Delhi: Amid criticism that the Supreme Court Collegium has no factual data to evaluate candidates being considered for elevation as judges of the apex court and high courts, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday asserted it was wrong to say so. At the Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture, the CJI said the collegium has prepared a broad platform where it has assessed the top 50 judges of the country for consideration as apex court judges, news agency PTI reported.

“One of the criticisms expressed about the collegium is that we have no factual data to evaluate the candidates being considered for appointment as judges of the top court and high courts. Let me share some of the steps taken. It is a work in progress but still we are improving. I have a Centre for Research and Planning. It is headed by an officer from the Haryana judicial services,” the CJI said, as quoted by PTI.

“We have prepared a broad platform where we have assessed the top 50 judges of the country who would be considered for appointment to the Supreme Court of India. We have data on judgements and the quality of judgements. The idea is to make the process of appointment in the Supreme Court more transparent,” he added.

He added that the primary objective of the collegium is to set the criteria for selection of judges for the Supreme Court and high courts.

Hailing Jethmalani, the legal eagle with signature wit who became the country’s law minister before his death in 2019, the CJI said he was the country’s top criminal lawyer as well as an acclaimed parliamentarian, PTI reported.

“Jethmalani’s legacy endures not only because of his unparalleled mastery over law but also due to his relentless pursuit for justice through legal and constitutional means,” the CJI said.

Justice Chandrachud, who graced the event organised at the NDMC Convention Centre to mark the birth centenary year of Jethmalani, was to speak on the topic ‘Has the basic structure doctrine served the nation well’.

However, he barely touched on the subject.

“Much as I admire Mr Jethmalani, one thing I would not like to share is his ability to court controversy. So, I thought if I have to do something about this doctrine, I should do it through my judgments and not off the court pronouncements,” Justice Chandrachud said, as quoted by PTI.

Elaborating on his goal to institutionalise courts, the CJI added, “Too often individuals come and lay down ideas only to be forgotten when they pass on the baton to the next person. Institutionalising courts enhances transparency and accountability.”

On the steps he has taken to improve the functioning of courts with the help of technology, Justice Chandrachud said, “The Centre for Research and Planning is now in the process of creating a system for managing and reducing case pendency through a project called SC-JUDICARE – which stands for Judicial Disposal through Case Management and Resource Efficiency. The project aims to increase efficiency through improved case classification, grouping, and tagging.”

“Phase I of the project is underway where we are collecting data on pending dockets to frame guidelines. We have also prepared a roadmap for auditing criminal matters. Our aim is to integrate granular data with an Integrated Case Management Information System (ICMIS), identify infructuous matters and devise strategic priorities at an institutional level,” he said.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R Venkataramani, former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, senior advocates Fali S Nariman, Shyam Divan, and members of the Jethmalani family also graced the event.