The National Lawyers’ Campaign for Judicial Reforms and Transparency has pleaded for a return to the pre-1993 arrangement, when the central government had the final say on the appointments and transfers of Supreme Court and high court judges. The National Lawyers’ Campaign for Judicial Reforms and Transparency has pleaded for a return to the pre-1993 arrangement, when the central government had the final say on the appointments and transfers of Supreme Court and high court judges. On Wednesday, former Supreme Court judge Madan B. Lokur had wondered in a newspaper column whether the government was already not calling the shots in judicial appointments. Under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution, the President appoints or transfers Supreme Court and high court judges in “consultation” with the Chief Justice of India. In 2014, the government sought to give itself a greater say in judges’ appointments by getting a bill enacted to form a National Judicial Appointments Commission that would replace the collegium system.
