No Transparency, Alleges Supreme Court Judge Skipping Meet On Appointments

New Delhi: In a singular act of dissent, a senior Supreme Court judge on Thursday alleged lack of transparency as he boycotted a meeting of the collegium or the group of senior-most judges that decides on judicial appointments.

Sources say Justice J Chelameswar, a member of the collegium, has also written to Chief Justice of India TS Thakur that collegium meetings are "not transparent".

Judges are upset with Justice Chelameswar for skipping the meeting, say sources, because they believe it undermines India's top court.

The Chief Justice had called the collegium meeting in the middle of a dispute with the government over how to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts.

Last October, Justice Chelameswar was the only judge to take a different view when a five-member bench struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act that gave politicians a role in appointing judges.

Backing the law passed in parliament, Justice Chelameswar had criticized the system of judges appointing judges. He said there was "no accountability" and there were "cases where the collegium of this Court quickly retraced its steps" having rejected a name recommended by the High Court collegium, giving scope for speculation on what led to the quick change.