For three decades, the recommendations of the High Court University have been accepted primarily by universities of three members of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Reviews are usually limited to important cases handled by lawyers and reports from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on personal reputation. Only a small percentage (10-15%) are rejected, usually due to poor IB input or declared low income, which indicates limited legal practice.
According to the TOI report, the review of the review is so relaxed that SC Collegium approved the appointment of CJI’s sister as a high court judge, which would still have the right to her pension to the judge despite an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.
However, after his appointment as CJI, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Br Gavai and Surya Kant, introduced a new process involving personal interactions with recommended candidates. The move is intended to assess the judicial temperament and overall applicability of quasi-judges in the Constitutional Court.
This step is considered necessary due to the growing focus of judges on controversial remarks on public forums, suspicious High Court rulings, and allegations of judicial corruption. In some cases, the Supreme Court has had to intervene on its own, such as problematic interpretations of serious criminal offenses and observes the need for better screening.
The proportion of approved recommended candidates has dropped significantly since the introduction of the interview, reflecting a more stringent approach to assessing candidates’ preparation of constitutional court responsibilities.(Input with TOI)
