Amid row,SC Collegium recommends 2 more names

The collegium was created to prohibit the political influence over the judiciary, and was intended to provide accountability in the selection process for judges.

New Delhi, Feb 01: Amid row over judges' appointment, the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended two more names for elevation to the top court.

Justice Rajesh Bindal, the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High court and Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Aravind Kumar, have been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges including the CJI, is functioning with 27 judges currently.

"The resolution of the Collegium in regard to the appointment of Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, is unanimous. However, in regard to the appointment of Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the High Court of Gujarat, Justice K M Joseph has expressed his reservations on the ground that his name can be considered at a later stage," the resolution said.

The Collegium had on December 13 recommended five judges -- Justice Pankaj Mithal, Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court; Justice Sanjay Karol, Chief Justice, Patna High Court; Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, Chief Justice, Manipur High Court; Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Judge, Patna High Court; and 5. Justice Manoj Misra, Judge, Allahabad High Court -- for elevation to the apex court.

The Centre is yet to accept and notify these names, and the Collegium clarified on Tuesday these judges "shall have precedence over these two names recommended presently for appointment to the Supreme Court".

The resolution said while recommending the two names, the Collegium has taken into consideration the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges in their respective parent High Courts as well as overall seniority of the High Court Judges.

The SC vs Centre row

The Supreme Court Collegium system in India has been in news in the recent times. The Collegium constitutes senior judges who decide issues related to transfers of judges to the higher judiciary in India, including the Supreme Court and High Courts.

The concept of the Collegium system dates back to 1993 through a judicial verdict known as the "Three Judges Cases."

The collegium was created to prohibit the political influence over the judiciary, and was intended to provide accountability in the selection process for judges.

However, the Collegium has come under criticism from various quarters for lack of transparency.

Furthermore, there have been allegations of nepotism, bias, and corruption within the Collegium, leading to calls for a more transparent and accountable system.

To address these concerns, the government introduced the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) in 2014. However, this was struck down by the Supreme Court, saying it will curb the independence of the judiciary and was unconstitutional.

The Collegium system has taken center stage in India with both the Supreme Court and the centre making strong arguments for and against reforms.

While it is clear that the current collegium system is not perfect, as it needs to be more transparent, accountable, and fair finding a solution that balances independence and accountability while ensuring transparency and fairness remains a challenge.