Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: CHIEF Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai has placed his firm stamp on judicial reforms by championing the collegium’s recent practice of personally interacting with candidates for high court appointments. He described this face-to-face engagement as “really helpful,” stressing that even a short conversation of 10 to 15 minutes often reveals more about a nominee’s suitability, temperament and outlook than stacks of paper credentials.
A vision for transparency
Speaking at the Supreme Court complex during Independence Day celebrations, the CJI underlined that this exercise, revived in December 2024 during Justice Sanjiv Khanna’s tenure and carried forward under his leadership, has now become an integral part of the appointments process. By interacting directly, the collegium is able to assess qualities of temperament, commitment and public responsibility—factors that are not always reflected in service records.
CJI Gavai, who along with Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath met more than 50 judicial officers and lawyers in July 2025 alone, said this unprecedented scale of interviews marks a turning point in the appointments mechanism. According to those familiar with the process, the trio posed wide-ranging questions on constitutional values, pressing legal issues, ethics and institutional responsibility, offering a holistic view of candidates.
The CJI emphasised that the Supreme Court is not “superior” to the high courts, since both are constitutional courts. He reminded that the first call in appointments must always come from the high court collegium, with the apex court only endorsing names after its own satisfaction. This clarification reflects his broader vision of a balanced judiciary rooted in constitutional equality.
Persistent vacancy challenge
India’s judiciary, however, continues to grapple with a deep vacancy crisis. Across the 25 HCs, the sanctioned strength today stands at 1,122 judges.
Of these, only 751 are working, leaving 371 seats vacant as of July 2025. This shortfall persists despite a series of record appointments in recent years. The revival of in-person interactions comes in the wake of controversies over judicial conduct in recent years.
The collegium now sees interviews as a safeguard, ensuring candidates are not just legally proficient but also ethically grounded and socially sensitive. Responding to a call by the Supreme Court Bar Association president for a broader system to collate names of potential appointees, CJI Gavai highlighted that many advocates practicing before the apex court had already been elevated to HCs in recent years, with more such recommendations in the pipeline. The Chief Justice’s remarks capture a conscious shift in the judiciary’s approach—away from a purely file-based evaluation towards a more nuanced and humanised assessment of candidates. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R Venkataramani, and senior members of the Supreme Court Bar Association were present on the occasion.
