SC collegium clears 36 names as high court judge nominees

In a major step towards overhauling the judicial appointments process, the Supreme Court collegium has cleared a record 36 names for elevation as judges to various high courts, following its unprecedented two-day marathon of personal interviews with 54 candidates earlier this week.

- Utkarsh Anand

The names cleared are for appointments across several high courts, including those in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Patna, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, among others.

The collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and senior judges justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, held these interviews on July 2and 3. The cleared names represent a mix of judicial officers and members of the Bar, selected through a rigorous vetting that included in-person assessments of their legal acumen, views on contemporary constitutional questions and broader personality traits.