Justice Ujjal Bhuyan calls for reasons in collegium appointments

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said the collegium may be doing a disservice to deserving judges by not giving reasons for its decisions, reports livelaw.in. Speaking at the launch of the Judicial Transparency Index, he stressed that citizens have a right to know who their judges are and what judicial work they have done. His remarks highlight a growing debate over opacity in the collegium system, which the Constitution does not expressly mention but which has evolved through Supreme Court judgments since the 1980s.

Courts routinely demand that administrative power be exercised fairly and for discernible reasons, Justice Bhuyan observed. Yet the collegium treats its own selection process as beyond explanation, raising questions of fairness. However, indiscriminate disclosure is not the answer, as appointments involve confidential consultations and intelligence inputs. The challenge, the justice indicated, is to determine what should be disclosed, to whom, and in what form, balancing transparency with the need to protect reputations and sensitive assessments.