SC extends time till November 13 for collegium suggestions

The Supreme Court on Thursday extended till November 13 the time for inviting suggestions to make the functioning of collegium system transparent and eligibility criteria based for the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.

An apex court constitution bench headed by Justice A.S. Khehar said that all the suggestions should reach the ministry of law and justice till 5 p.m. on November 13, which in turn will forward them to senior counsel Arvind Dattar and Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand to collate them.

The court, however, permitted the Bar Council of India to submit their suggestion to Dattar and Anand till November 14.

All the suggestions will be limited on the point of transparency in the working of the collegium, eligibility criteria for the selection of judges, setting up of a permanent secretariat of the collegium and the procedure for entertaining the complaints in respect of the candidates being considered for judgeship.

Welcoming the suggestions by the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, the court said that the ministry of law and justice will upload on its website the suggestions that have already been collated by senior counsel Dattar and ASG Anand.

The court fixed two days, commencing from November 18, for hearing different counsels on the suggestions made.

The court has constituted a three member committee comprising Attorney General Rohatgi, chairman Bar Council of India Manan Mishra and senior counsel Fali Nariman who will decide on the lawyers who will address the court on the suggestions during two-days hearing, starting November 18.