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Former President of the Supreme Court of India (CJI) and current Rajya Sabha deputy Ranjan Gogoi said on Wednesday that the Collegium Supreme Court did not face any government interference during his tenure as CJI in appointing judges for the superior courts and the Tribunal Supreme.
Fourteen names were recommended for appointment (as judges) to the Supreme Court during my tenure. They were accepted and appointments were made on time. There was never any difficulty. All recommendations with the chief judges of the higher courts were also processed on time. (There was) no executive interference, “he said at a webinar organized by the Confederation of Alumni for Universities of National Law on the subject of” Ensuring an independent judiciary under our Constitution. “
The former CJI also said that the Collegium system is an excellent method for appointing judges to the higher courts and the Supreme Court, as the system helps control executive interference when it comes to judicial appointments.
“My experience with the college is that it is a safe way to keep the executive out of the dating process. The executive has an equal role, although the judicial voice is the highest voice, “he said.
Judge Gogoi also said that the protection and immunity granted to judges should be strengthened so that they can carry out their duties without fear. The vulnerability associated with a judge’s office discourages young lawyers from accepting offers to become judges, he said.
“The scheme for the protection of judges needs to be strengthened. Young lawyers do not want to become judges. The office of a superior court judge has become so vulnerable that an attorney is happy to continue as an attorney. Don’t forget the sacrifice a lawyer makes to become a judge, “Gogoi said.
He also criticized a “group” of activists and the media who, he alleged, have set benchmarks for judges to be considered independent. Judges are attacked if they do not meet the standards set by them and those trends will sound the death sentence for an independent judiciary, Gogoi said.
“Activists, web portals, some mainstream media (organizations), this is a group that has established ‘identifying marks’ for who an ‘independent judge’ is. A judge (according to them) must be anti-authoritarian, eloquent on issues like division between rich and poor, the oppression of the marginalized and the suppression of fundamental rights. If the judges do not meet these expectations, they are attacked. This is destructive to the independence of the judiciary, “he said.
Eyebrows rose when Judge Gogoi accepted Rajya Sabha’s nomination, just four months after his retirement from the Supreme Court.
On the subject of post-retirement work, Gogoi, in response to a question, noted that there are judges who lead to arbitrations after retirement, while another group of judges talk about judicial independence and freedom of expression afterwards. to resign the position.
“You talk about post-retirement commitments like compromising judicial independence. What about those other two categories? “, I ask.
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