The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation that sought the formation of a judge-selection panel – free from the restrictions of the collegium of judges – for appointment to posts in the apex and high courts, ANI reported. The National Lawyers' Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms had said that an independent committee, unconnected with the executive or judiciary, was needed to end an elitist dominance in the judiciary, reported The Times of India.

The top court dismissed the plea, saying that a judge-selection panel may not be "constitutionally tenable", and the government was preparing a memorandum of procedure on the subject. The National Lawyers' Campaign also called for an end to the appointment of kin of serving judges and senior advocates to judicial positions. It also claimed that the collegium overlooked a large number of qualified candidates, The Times of India reported.

The collegium system was in the spotlight last year after the Centre had asked for more transparency with regard to its decision-making. The Supreme Court, however, restored the system that allows judges to select new judges.