Supreme Court to seek public opinion on appointment of judges

Decision comes in wake of a raging debate over the resignation of Justice Jayant Patel of Karnataka High Court

In an unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court collegium has decided to put in public domain all its recommendations for the appointment of judges to various high courts and the top court in future.

The collegium has decided that it will also make public the reasons for recommending the names for the appointment of judges to the high courts and to itself.

It has also decided that it will make public the reasons for not recommending the names of candidates for appointment as judges to the high courts.

The decision comes in the wake of a raging debate over the resignation of Justice Jayant Patel of Karnataka High Court, apparently upset over his transfer to Allahabad High Court. Justice Patel, who was said to have been in line for becoming Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, reportedly felt slighted over the transfer move that would have left him as a junior judge.

There have been critics of the collegium system who say that this method of selection of judges lacks transparency and sometimes works according to whims and fancies of some of the members.