Supreme Court Publishes Judges Appointment Process | Collegium Data Since November 2022 And Relations With Judges Included
Kiran Raj
The Supreme Court on May 5 uploaded the complete process of appointments of Judges to the High Court and the Supreme Court on its website for the knowledge and awareness of the public. The proposals approved by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointments as High Court Judges during the period from November 9, 2022, to May 5, 2025, have also been uploaded. These include details such as the names, High Court, source — whether from Service or Bar, date of recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium, date of notification by the Department of Justice, date of appointment, special category (SC/ST/OBC/Minority/Woman), and whether the candidate is related to any sitting or retired High Court or Supreme Court Judge.
The broad factors considered for High Court Judges are also provided. Two-thirds of posts are for Members of Bar and one-third for Judicial Officers. Merit and integrity are mentioned as prime criteria. Candidates from the Bar are generally expected to be between 45 and 55 years of age on the date of recommendation, though relaxation may be allowed in cases of outstanding merit. Advocates should be income tax assessees for the preceding ten years unless exempt from paying income tax.
The guidelines specify that the average net professional income should be a minimum of ₹7 lakhs per annum during the preceding five years. Other factors include an adequate number of reported judgments, pro bono work of advocates in the courts, and performance in courts. For Judicial Officers, the age limit is within 58½ years on the date when the vacancy arises. Due weightage is given to inter se seniority of Judicial Officers and to social diversity and representation of women and other marginalized sections of society.
The criteria for assessment of judgments applicable to judicial officers include command over language, marshalling of facts and issues, reasoning for conclusion, appreciation of evidence, knowledge of procedural and substantive law, and application of law with reference to precedents.
The uploaded documents also include a chart showing the steps involved.
In the case of appointments to the Supreme Court, the factors to be taken into consideration include appointment by elevation of a Chief Justice or a Judge of the High Court, an eminent member of the Bar, or a distinguished jurist. In the event of elevation of a Chief Justice or Judge of the High Court, fair representation to all the High Courts is noted. Consideration is also given to inter se seniority among High Court Judges, merit, integrity, and the disposition rate of the Judge under consideration while in the High Court. The disposition rate is required to be considered along with other factors such as the quality of judgments, complexity of cases, and court workload.
The documents also contain specimen samples of Intelligence Bureau (IB) reports, Collegium resolutions, bio-data, and other related materials.
In relation to the appointments made during the period from November 9, 2022, to May 5, 2025, the documents show that out of 303 candidates, the Supreme Court Collegium approved 170 appointments to the High Courts. These appointments include 7 Judges from Scheduled Castes, 5 from Scheduled Tribes, 21 from OBC, 28 women, 23 minorities, 12 candidates related to judges, and 7 from the most backward classes.
From November 2024 to May 5, 2025, during the term of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the Supreme Court Collegium approved 51 appointments to High Courts out of 103 candidates. Among these 51 appointments, 11 belong to OBC, 1 to Scheduled Castes, 2 to Scheduled Tribes, 8 to minorities, 6 are women, and 2 are related to sitting or retired Judges of High Courts or the Supreme Court.
Of the 170 recommendations made between November 2022 and November 2024, 17 remain pending before the Government. Similarly, from the 51 recommendations between November 2024 and May 5, 2025, 12 names are still pending with the Government.
Read the appointment process of the Chief Justice of India and other Supreme Court judges
Read the appointment process of High Court judges
[Read/Download Press Release]
