In a historic step towards institutional transparency, the Supreme Court of India has made public the entire process of judicial appointments to the High Courts and the Supreme Court. This unprecedented move includes detailed disclosures about the role of the High Court Collegium, the inputs provided by the State and Central governments, and the final consideration by the Supreme Court Collegium.
A press release issued by the apex court stated,
“The proposals approved by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointments as High Court Judges during the period 9th November 2022 to 5th May 2025, including the names, High Court, source – whether from Service or Bar, date of recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium, date of notification by Department of Justice, date of appointment, special category (SC/ST/OBC/Minority/Woman), and whether the candidate is related to any sitting or retired High Court/Supreme Court Judge, have also been uploaded on the Supreme Court website.”
The court emphasized that this initiative was taken “for the knowledge and awareness of the public,” marking a shift from earlier practices where judicial appointments were shrouded in confidentiality.
Notably, the published records now include whether a recommended candidate is related to any sitting or retired judge of the High Courts or the Supreme Court. This disclosure is seen as a direct response to ongoing concerns about transparency and nepotism in judicial appointments.
In a further move toward openness, the Supreme Court also announced that the statement of assets of sitting judges will soon be available on its official website.
“Statements of assets of Judges already received are being uploaded. Statement of assets of other Judges will be uploaded as and when the current statement of assets is received,” the release said.
This decision marks a significant milestone in judicial accountability and is likely to set a new standard for transparency in constitutional institutions.
