Autonomous panel must be formed to appoint SC, HC judges: Retired Justice K Chandru

MADURAI: An autonomous committee should be formed to appoint High Court and Supreme Court judges in India, opined retired Justice K Chandru during a conference on 'challenges in the appointment of judges' organised by the All India Lawyers Association in Madurai on Saturday. The session was followed by a discussion on the retired judge's autobiography titled 'Nanum Nithipathi Aanen' (I too became a justice) at the World Tamil Sangam.

Addressing the gathering, Chandru said every judge should be guided by the Constitution of India and should never be swayed by political standpoints. Referring to the collegium system of appointing judges in India, he said nowhere else in the world heads of the judiciary are appointed by other judges.

"A permanent committee should be formed to appoint judges, and the panel members should have absolute freedom to make decisions. The selection process of the existing collegium system is not transparent. We don't know why the persons, who get appointed, are selected. This is what happened in L Victoria Gowri's (Additional Judge of Madras High Court) case too. A person may be affiliated with a political party before elevation to a judicial post. However, it is paramount that the person keeps away his or her political standpoints from the decision-making process in the court," he added.