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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: SC judge Ujjal Bhuyan has questioned opacity in the collegium\u2019s decisions on judicial appointments.\u201cI have noticed that the last three collegium resolutions contain no reasons whatsoever. Is this a step back from the principle of transparency?\u201d said Justice Bhuyan at a panel discussion on Saturday. \u201cBy withholding reasons, we also create space for individuals to enter the judiciary who may later describe groups of people as \u2018ants\u2019 and make other remarks that are wholly unconstitutional,\u201d he said.Citizens have right to know deliberations on elevation, transfer of judges: Bhuyan<\/span>To prevent the entry of such people, \u201cthere should be some discussion, there should be some reasons given\u201d, said Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. Though the judge didn\u2019t name anyone, the comment was an apparent reference to a remark by an Allahabad high court judge at a social event in 2024.He was speaking at the launch of the Judicial Transparency Index: Assessing Disclosure of Information by the Supreme Court and the High Courts, prepared by the Justice, Access and Lowering Delays in India (JALDI) Initiative at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.The judge stressed that deliberations on the elevation and transfer of judges by the SC collegium largely remain confidential, contrary to the principle of judicial transparency.\u201cWhile carrying out the next assessment on the scale of Judicial Transparency Index, I may request the JALDI team to also look into the aspect of opacity of the collegium system. Deliberations on elevation and transfer of judges remain confidential. Reasons for rejecting or deferring a recommendation are rarely disclosed in full. And the criteria applied are not codified in any publicly disclosed instrument. It is a very important issue. Citizens have a right to know what is happening in the courts. They have a right to know who would be their judges.They have a right to know judgments. These should be in the public domain\u201d, Justice Bhuyan underlined.The report is the first systematic study assessing transparency practices across India\u2019s higher judiciary and evaluates disclosure of information by the Supreme Court and high courts across judicial processes, institutional governance and administration, and judicial and administrative personnel.Referring to a previous collegium resolution reiterating the recommendation of senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal for appointment as a judge, Justice Bhuyan said he found the reasons recorded by the Supreme Court convincing but noted that despite more than three and a half years having passed, no appointment materialised.<\/p>\n Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n