Justice Ujjal Bhuyan Criticizes Supreme Court Collegium Opacity

Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan called for increased transparency in the Collegium system during the August 1 launch of the Judicial Transparency Index in New Delhi. The report was produced by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy through its Justice, Access and Lowering Delays in India (JALDI) initiative.

Justice Bhuyan criticized the growing opacity of the body responsible for judicial appointments, noting that the three most recent Collegium resolutions, including one from 2025, provided no reasons for recommending elevations. He argued that withholding justifications does a disservice to qualified judges and risks admitting individuals with unconstitutional views. To illustrate this, he cited a former Allahabad High Court judge who compared certain groups of people to "ants."

Bhuyan asserted that citizens have a right to know who their judges are and questioned if the current lack of disclosure represents a "step back" from the principle of transparency. The discussion also addressed the appointment of Senior Advocate Saurabh Kirpal, whom the Collegium recommended but the Government of India has not cleared for over three years. Kirpal noted that requiring disclosed reasons would act as a check on the Collegium itself.