The judicial logjam

Govt should not use national security to veto appointments

It appears that the central government and the Supreme Court are no closer to a compromise on how senior judges should be appointed. The five-judge collegium of the Supreme Court has reportedly rejected several controversial clauses that the government wanted to be included in the Memorandum of Procedure, or MoP, that is being drafted to govern how the senior judiciary is chosen. In particular, the collegium has said that the government’s proposal that it be allowed to reject possible candidates on the grounds of “national security” is unacceptable. The collegium apparently indicated that it would be willing to consider whatever