Appointing judges is not part of judiciary's independence: Law Minister

The right to appoint judges is not an integral part of independence of judiciary, asserts Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who also dismisses fears that the National Judicial Appointments Commission is tilted in favour of the executive.

He also asserts that the primacy of the judiciary will always be there in the appointments, notwithstanding the fact that the collegium will not exist.

"The appointment of judges is not an integral part of independence of the judiciary. The appointment of judges is an executive function because the orders will be issued by an executive order.

"It passes through the various stages and goes to the Prime Minister. Finally the President will act. So, it will not be a judicial order, it will be an executive function," he told PTI in an interview.

Gowda's remarks come in the midst of a hearing in the Supreme Court on the validity of the NJAC Act in which the Centre has attacked the collegium system of judges appointing judges saying that it did not follow the principle of meritocracy in which many "undeserving" persons became judges.

Gowda also responded to a question on fears that the end of the over two decade-long collegium system would mean an end of the judiciary's supremacy in appointing judges.