Law Ministry receives 3,500 representations on collegium:SG

The Union Law Ministry's website has been flooded with suggestions on improving the collegium system of judges appointing judges in higher judiciary as almost 3,500 representations have been posted on the website, the Supreme Court was on Tuesday told. Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the court that 3,500 representations have come in pursuance to the notice on the Ministry's website soliciting inputs on improving the revived collegium system. The persons who have made representations include former BJP ideologue K N Govindacharya who said that the terms of appointment of judges should include a clause that if the prospective judges give wrong information about their education and other requisites, they should be removed without getting into the rigours of impeachment proceedings.

The apex court will today commence hearing on the suggestions of the people from all walks of society as to how the transparency and accountability can be improved in the collegium system. Govindacharya has said that in case the person who has been selected by the collegium is related to any present or former judge, senior advocate or politician, then that person should not be a part of appointment process, to negate possibility of conflict of interest. Meanwhile, a conference was on Tuesday held by The National Lawyers' Campaign For Judicial Transparency And Reforms, seeking to review its order by which it declared the NJAC unconstitutional.

The organisation also said that the time for the public to submit their suggestions and representations be extended as the time given by the apex court was very short. At the apex court's invitation to the public for suggestions to improve the collegium system, a large chunk of respondents have advocated written testsfollowed by interview for selection of judges. After compiling the suggestions and categorising them under various heads, Additional solicitor general Pinky Anand and senior advocate Arvind Datar found that a majority of suggestions were on the qualification and quality of persons who should be appointed as judges of constitutional courts.