"There is legitimate… public interest in knowing how judges are appointed but we also need to preserve the privacy of the people -- members of the Bar or judges of the High Court," Justice DY Chandrachud, who took over as India's 50th Chief Justice on Wednesday, 9 November, told The Indian Express about the Supreme Court's Collegium system.
His remark comes days after Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's comments on the Collegium system of appointing judges being “opaque” and “not accountable."
Justice Chandrachud said that there were several improvements that could be made in the Collegium system even while the judiciary continues to "work within the fold of that system."
"So it's a constantly evolving process," he told The Indian Express.
He, however, cautioned against exposing "every little detail of discussions and deliberations."
"The net result would be that many good people will just not be interested in seeking judgeship or accepting it when the offer of judgeship is made," he said.
"Because the feeling would be that well, by even accepting the offer of judgeship, you are exposing your own intimate personal lives to a level of scrutiny which is not really relatable to the needs or interests of the institution,” he added.
He pointed out that as judges what should instead count is their judgements and written word.
"So, the best way to deal with criticism is to work in a manner which is more accommodating of diverse critiques of the functioning of the Collegium. Some of the criticism may not be entirely justified," he mentioned.
"Some of the criticism may warrant some look at how better we can foster our procedures which is something which we will do. But all change has to be taking place in an incremental manner so as to promote certainty and better outcomes for everybody,” he said.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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