The Supreme Court Collegium this week overruled Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s objections to the elevation of five lawyers as High Court judges. The collegium rejected one name and sent four others back to the Karnataka High Court for another review.
The chief minister had said the 10 proposed names “do not provide opportunity of representation to the cross-sections of the society”. But the collegium, in its resolution dated December 4, said the High Court Collegium had already looked into the “merit, experience, performance, character and conduct” of the nominees.
In October, the Supreme Court Collegium decided to make its appointments of judges public on its website, aiming to make the process transparent.
The executive and the judiciary have been at odds on how judges are appointed. In 2015, the government had made an effort to get the power to appoint judges through legislation, but the Supreme Court quashed it, calling it unconstitutional.
Other appointments approved on December 4 include the elevation of 25 additional judges as permanent judges in five High Courts, and those of 14 lawyers to two High Court benches.
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