In a major step towards transparency and public awareness, the Supreme Court of India on May 5, 2025, published detailed documentation of the process involved in the appointment of judges to the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The information, now available on the Supreme Court’s official website, includes the Collegium’s recommendations made between November 9, 2022, and May 5, 2025, along with detailed data and criteria used in evaluating candidates.
This disclosure follows mounting criticism and debates around the opacity in the judicial appointments, aiming to make the process more accessible and comprehensible to the general public.
The details
The published documents include:
- The list of candidates recommended for High Court appointments.
- Their parent organisation — from the Bar or Judicial Service.
- The name of the High Court.
- Dates of recommendation, notification, and appointment.
- Category details (e.g., SC, ST, OBC, Women, Minorities).
Disclosures about whether a candidate is related to a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court or any High Court.
Additionally, specimen formats of Intelligence Bureau (IB) reports, collegium resolutions, and candidate bio-data have also been uploaded, offering an inside view into how the appointment pipeline operates.
Collegium Recommendations from Nov 2022 to May 2025
According to the published records, the Supreme Court Collegium considered 303 candidates for High Court appointments during the specified period. Out of these, 170 recommendations were approved. The diversity breakdown of those approved is as follows:
- Scheduled Castes (SC): 7
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): 5
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): 21
- Women: 28
- Minorities: 23
- Related to Judges (sitting/retired): 12
- Most Backward Classes: 7
During the term of current Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the Collegium processed 103 candidates between November 2024 and May 5, 2025, and approved 51. Of those:
- OBC: 11
- SC: 1
- ST: 2
- Minorities: 8
- Women: 6
- Relatives of sitting/retired judges: 2
As of now, 17 names from the 170 recommendations made between November 2022 and November 2024 are still pending with the Government. From the recent batch of 51 recommendations under Justice Khanna, 12 remain pending.
Criteria for High Court Appointments
The Supreme Court outlined the broad factors it considers while evaluating candidates for High Court Judgeships:
For Advocates from the Bar:
- Two-thirds of High Court judge positions are allocated to members of the Bar.
- Candidates must be aged between 45 and 55 years at the time of recommendation (with exceptions for exceptional merit).
- Must have filed income tax returns for the preceding 10 years unless exempted.
- Should have an average net professional income of at least ₹7 lakh per annum over the last five years.
- Demonstrated contribution to pro bono work.
- Performance and conduct in court.
- Should have an adequate number of reported judgments.
For Judicial Officers:
- One-third of High Court judge positions are filled by judicial officers.
- Age should be under 58.5 years on the date of the vacancy.
- Inter se seniority is considered.
- Due representation to women and marginalized groups is factored into the selection process.
Assessment Criteria for Judicial Officers’ Judgments
In evaluating judgments of judicial officers, the following are considered:
- Command over language.
- Ability to marshal facts and identify issues.
- Logical and reasoned conclusions.
- Understanding and appreciation of evidence.
- Knowledge of procedural and substantive law.
- Application of law with relevant precedents.
Supreme Court Appointment Criteria
When considering appointments to the Supreme Court, either by elevation from the High Courts or direct induction from the Bar, the following factors are emphasized:
- A fair representation across all High Courts.
- Inter se seniority among High Court judges.
- Merit and integrity.
- Disposition rate, i.e., the number of cases a judge disposes, is evaluated along with:
- Quality of judgments.
- Complexity of cases handled.
- Court workload.
This initiative to publish detailed information about judicial appointments is a landmark move towards greater transparency in the functioning of the higher judiciary. By outlining the criteria, processes, and diversity statistics of its appointments, the Supreme Court has taken a significant step in demystifying a system that has often been viewed as opaque.
