Topic: Indian Judiciary
Q2. How are Supreme Court and High Court judges appointed? Trace the evolution of ‘Collegium system’ of appointment of higher judiciary in India with specific case laws and suggest reforms needed. (250 Words)
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
Recently, Union Minister for Law and Justice has suggested that the collegium system of appointments to the higher judiciary needs to be reconsidered in view of the concerns about the process.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the process of selection of SC and HC and evolution of the process of the appointment of Judges to the SC and the reforms that are needed to the existing collegium system.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin the answer by briefly describing the process of selection of HC and SC judges.
Body:
Show evolution of appointment process. Mention, in brief, the three judges’ cases and NJAC act, 2014.
Next, write about the reasons which call for reforms to the existing collegium system. Opaqueness, lack of accountability, lack of representation from weaker sections, slow pace of appointments and lack of public faith etc.
Suggest reforms to overcome the above issues that are affecting the collegium system.
Conclusion:
Mention the importance of an efficient, independent and vigilant judiciary for our democracy.
