Disappointed as SC Collegium's Dec 12 decision on elevation of judges not made public: Lokur

Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Madan B Lokur Wednesday expressed disappointment over not bringing to public domain the December 12 decision of the apex court's Collegium on the elevation of judges, which has been at the centre of controversy.

Justice (Retd) Lokur, who demitted office on December 30, 2018, was part of the 5-member Collegium deliberations which had reportedly agreed to recommend the names of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Rajendra Menon to the Supreme Court.

Later, however, Delhi High Court judge Sanjiv Khanna and Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Dinesh Maheshwari were elevated as apex court judges, triggering a public debate on the issue.

On the controversy around the purported change in the decision, Justice Lokur said he did not know as to what additional documents came after his retirement.

Speaking at an interaction here on 'State of the Indian Judiciary', organised by a law portal, the former judge however rubbished the claim of nepotism in the judiciary.

Justice Lokur said he didn't think that the Collegium system has failed.

Healthy discussions take place at the Collegium meetings and agreements and disagreements are part of it, he said, adding that the discussions are confidential and trust is the important factor.

He advocated time-bound decisions on the recommendations of the Collegium by the Executive, saying that in the event of no response from the government, the recommendations can be deemed to be accepted.

He said there is a need to bring some changes in the Collegium system and some mechanism has to be there for adhering to time line in judicial appointments,