GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th Nov. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) U.U. Lalit said on Sunday that the collegium system for appointing judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts is “perfect.”
Justice Lalit, who retired as the 49th Chief Justice of India on November 8, said the appointment process should not be extended indefinitely, adding that it has deprived the courts of much-needed talent.
In an interview with the media, Justice Lalit explained the circumstances that led to the court hearing the government’s appeal against Professor G.N. Saibaba’s acquittal on a Saturday.
The former Chief Justice stated that his Bench had already risen on that day, a Friday. This prompted the government to refer the case to a Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud, the then-number two judge and current Chief Justice of India.
The Chandrachud Bench refused to issue an order staying the acquittal and instead requested that the case be heard on Monday.
However, it had noted in its brief order the government’s intention to approach the Registry in order to obtain directions from CJI Lalit to list the case on October 15. (Saturday).
Justice Lalit stated that he was not informed of Justice Chandrachud’s reservations about listing the appeal on Saturday.
In response to a question about why the Collegium resolutions no longer include reasons for rejecting a candidate, Chief Justice Lalit stated that the comments or discussion, if made public, could become a blot on the person’s head, who could be a serving judge or a practicing lawyer. He stated that the reasons for rejecting the candidate would be kept confidential.
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