No external interference in judge appointments, says CJI Gavai
Speaking at a felicitation event hosted by the Bombay Bar Association to mark his elevation as the 52nd CJI, Justice Gavai responded to recent concerns raised by Supreme Court judge Dipankar Datta about attempts to influence the collegium's decisions.
'I must assure you that we will ensure a completely transparent process while giving due representation to all sections of society,' Justice Gavai said. 'Merit will never be compromised.'
Justice Datta, while delivering a speech in Pune on June 28, had flagged the need to insulate the judiciary from 'external forces' that delay or obstruct collegium recommendations. 'Such forces must be dealt with sternly. Whatever proceedings are pending must be given top priority to ensure that merit, and only merit, is considered — not extraneous considerations,' he had said.
Justice Gavai, addressing the issue directly, highlighted ongoing efforts to reform the selection process. 'From the time of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, we have tried to bring in greater transparency in appointments. Just yesterday, we interviewed 54 candidates and recommended 34 names,' he said.
The CJI also congratulated advocates Gautam Ankad and Mahendra Nerlikar, whose appointments as additional judges of the Bombay High Court were notified by the Union Law Ministry on Friday. 'We are making every effort to ensure vacancies are filled at the earliest so that courts function at full strength,' he added.
Justice Gavai acknowledged pendency as a major challenge facing the judiciary, attributing part of the problem to delays in filling judicial vacancies. 'I can assure you that the names recommended for appointments will be followed up. We will ensure that the Bombay High Court functions at its full sanctioned strength so that the backlog is reduced — at least to some extent,' he said.
Reflecting on his role, he concluded, 'It is the duty of a judge to uphold the Constitution and to do justice. That has always been my guiding principle.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘America Party' launched: Musk hints at election plans; Can he run for president in 2028?
announced his new political outfit, the 'America Party,' on Saturday against the backdrop of a strained relationship and public fallout with US President Donald Trump, his former ally. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The agenda of this new party is aimed at challenging the 'one-party system', which Musk calls 'formed to give you back your freedom'. The new announcement has sparked speculations about whether Musk would run for president in 2028 or who would be the other party leaders. Replying to X user who asked Musk about his election plans, 'Midterms or 2028?', to which he responded, 'Next year'. Under current constitutional rules, Musk is ineligible to seek the presidency. Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution requires presidential candidates to be natural-born citizens, which legally disqualifies Musk from running for the nation's highest office. In 2024, Musk publicly acknowledged his ineligibility, stating, 'I cannot be president because of my African birth.' He also said at the time, 'My grandfather was American, but I was born in Africa, so I cannot be president.' While campaigning for the 2025 elections alongside Trump last year, Musk made his political ambitions clear when he said, ' I actually don't want to be president. I want to build rockets and cars.' Musk committed to working on government efficiency if Trump is re-elected. He said, 'I'm hoping that we get President Trump elected, and then I'll work hard on the Department of government efficiency.' Cut to July 4, when Musk posted a poll on his social media platform X asking users whether they wanted 'independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system.' The poll received over 1.2 million responses, with the majority voting in favour. Musk responded, 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' He also posted a meme depicting a two-headed snake with the caption 'End the Uniparty,' indicating his push for an alternative to the traditional Democratic and Republican dominance in US politics.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tripura: BJP ally Tipra Motha threatens to withdraw support over tripartite accord, infiltration concerns
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Guwahati: BJP's ally in Tripura in ruling coalition Tipra Motha Party (TMP) threatened to withdraw support from the government, accusing it of failing to implement the tripartite accord and curb illegal infiltration from Bangladesh Withdrawing of support will not impact the stability of the government as BJP enjoys an absolute majority with its 33 MLAs in the house of 60 TMP leader and party MLA Ranjit Debbarma told media persons the party leaders would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and would discuss their pending demands.'If the meeting with the Union Home Minister failed to resolve our issues, then we would withdraw support from the BJP government in Tripura.'BJP, another ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), has one the signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government on March 2 last year, the then opposition TMP with 13 MLAs joined the BJP-led coalition government in the state on March 7 last supported both the BJP candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats. BJP wrested both the Lok Sabha seats in March 7 in 2024, two TMP MLAs -- Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma -- were inducted into the ministry headed by Chief Minister Manik Saha TMP leader Debbarma said that the BJP government did not implement the provisions of the tripartite agreement even after more than 15 months of signing the accord in Delhi in the presence of the union Home demands include greater autonomy for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and development of the tribals' socio-economic TMP, though, originally demanded a 'Greater Tipraland' or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. The ruling BJP, the opposition CPI-M and the Congress have been opposing the TMP's 'Greater Tipraland' CPI (M) currently has 10 MLAs in the state assembly while the Congress has three. The CPI (M)-led Left Front, and the Congress had a seat-sharing arrangement for the elections.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'To suit needs of society': CJI Gavai calls for 'pragmatic' interpretation of Constitution; urges judges not to think about a case once it is decided
NEW DELHI: (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has called for the Constitution to be interpreted in a "practical" manner and in a way which "suits the needs of society." CJI Gavai made the remark at a felicitation organised for him by the Bombay high court in Mumbai on Saturday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking at the event, he cited a past Supreme Court judgment, and stressed on the need to interpret laws or the Constitution in the context of "problems faced by the present generation. " "The interpretation has to be pragmatic. It has to be one that suits the needs of society," news agency quoted him as saying. Judges, he said, are expected to work as per their conscience, the oath of office and law, but "should never be perturbed once a matter is decided." "A judge should cut off his mind from the matter and forget what happens to it thereafter," the country's 52nd chief justice added. Talking about the appointment of judges, the CJI asserted that the judiciary's independence "shall not be compromised at any cost". Further, the chief justice stated that While making appointments to the Supreme Court and high courts, the Supreme Court collegium ensures merit is maintained while there is diversity and inclusiveness. A former practicing lawyer at the Bombay high court, he also talked about how, lately, he has been receiving complaints about the "rude behaviour" of judges. "This is not a 10 to 5 job, it's an opportunity to serve the society. It is an opportunity to serve the nation. Please do not do anything which brings disrepute to this august institution, whose reputation has been so laboriously built by the devotion and dedication of generations of lawyers and generations of judges," he urged the legal community. CJI Gavai assumed charge as the chief justice in May. His tenure will end in November.
