Stressing on the need to bring more transparency in the appointment process of Supreme Court judges, Justice J Chelameswar on Monday said the elevation of the High Court judge to the apex court is done on their impression rather than on their performance.

Speaking during a panel discussion titled 'The Indian Higher Judiciary: Issues and Prospects', the apex court judge said the one responsible for the selection process must put "assessment on record", which would "eliminate most of the problems".

"An assessment of the performance of a high court judge, I am talking about elevation to the Supreme Court, is hardly done. Generally, the assessment goes by impression," Justice Chelameswar said.

During the discussion, Justice Chelameswar, while speaking on reforms required in the apex court, said if it happens then as the sanctioned strength of the top court is 31 judges, each state will stake its claim for a seat.

"The SC today has a sanctioned strength of 31. The moment Supreme Court with 31 judges is created, the first thing that happens in this country is every state believes it is entitled to a seat in the top court," he said.

Stressing on the need to bring more transparency in the appointment process of Supreme Court judges, Justice J Chelameswar on Monday said the elevation of the High Court judge to the apex court is done on their impression rather than on their performance

Stressing on the need to bring more transparency in the appointment process of Supreme Court judges, Justice J Chelameswar on Monday said the elevation of the High Court judge to the apex court is done on their impression rather than on their performance. Speaking during a panel discussion titled 'The Indian Higher Judiciary: Issues and Prospects', the apex court judge said the one responsible for the selection process must put "assessment on record", which would "eliminate most of the problems". "An assessment of the performance of a high court judge, I am talking about elevation to the Supreme Court, is hardly done. Generally, the assessment goes by impression," Justice Chelameswar said. During the discussion, Justice Chelameswar, while speaking on reforms required in the apex court, said if it happens then as the sanctioned strength of the top court is 31 judges, each state will stake its claim for a seat. "The SC today has a sanctioned strength of 31. The moment Supreme Court with 31 judges is created, the first thing that happens in this country is every state believes it is entitled to a seat in the top court," he said.

SC judges appointed on impression, not performance: Justice Chelameswar

A lawyers' body has expressed grave concern over the issues raised by Supreme Court's senior-most judge Justice J Chelameswar in a letter to the Chief Justice of India urging him to convene a full court to deal with the alleged executive interference in the judiciary.

"The letter of Justice Chelameswar reveals direct interference of central government in the process of appointment of judges in the High Court. The letter clearly shows that the independence of the Judiciary is in peril now," the All India Lawyers Union (AILU) said in a statement.

It said that lawyers across the country were concerned with the latest revelations made in the letter in which Justice Chelameswar has questioned the probe initiated by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari against District and Sessions Judge Krishna Bhat at the request of the Ministry of Law and Justice, despite his name being recommended for elevation twice by the Collegium.

"More painful for the democracy is that the present Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court has obediently succumbed to the Executive pressure. The present govt is not only deliberately destroying the independence of judiciary but few judges are also abetting it," a statement, released by AILU President and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and General Secretary Som Dutta Sharma, said.

Condemning the move of inquiry against a recommender of the collegium, the AILU said if the collegium's recommendations cannot be accepted, these should have been referred to the apex court for reconsideration.

"A judge is oath-bound to uphold the Constitution without favour and fear. Chief Justice of Karnataka has failed in the instant case to stick to his oath. It's time to raise voice to save both democracy and the Constitution," the statement said.

Justice Chelameswar had shot off a letter on March 21 to the CJI urging him to consider convening a full court to take up the issue of alleged executive interference in the judiciary. He had also cautioned that "the bonhomie between the judiciary and the government in any State sounds the death knell to democracy".

Justice Chelameswar, who had held the unprecedented January 12 press conference along with three other senior judges raising issues including the allocation of cases by the CJI, had said, "We, the judges of the Supreme

Court of India, is being accused of ceding our independence and our institutional integrity to the Executive's incremental encroachment.

"The executive is always impatient and brooks no disobedience even of the judiciary if it can. Attempts were always made to treat the Chief Justices as the Departmental Heads in the Secretariat. So much for our independence and pre-eminence' as a distinct State organ."

A lawyers' body has expressed grave concern over the issues raised by Supreme Court's senior-most judge Justice J Chelameswar in a letter to the Chief Justice of India urging him to convene a full court to deal with the alleged executive interference in the judiciary

A lawyers' body has expressed grave concern over the issues raised by Supreme Court's senior-most judge Justice J Chelameswar in a letter to the Chief Justice of India urging him to convene a full court to deal with the alleged executive interference in the judiciary. "The letter of Justice Chelameswar reveals direct interference of central government in the process of appointment of judges in the High Court. The letter clearly shows that the independence of the Judiciary is in peril now," the All India Lawyers Union (AILU) said in a statement. It said that lawyers across the country were concerned with the latest revelations made in the letter in which Justice Chelameswar has questioned the probe initiated by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari against District and Sessions Judge Krishna Bhat at the request of the Ministry of Law and Justice, despite his name being recommended for elevation twice by the Collegium. "More painful for the democracy is that the present Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court has obediently succumbed to the Executive pressure. The present govt is not only deliberately destroying the independence of judiciary but few judges are also abetting it," a statement, released by AILU President and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and General Secretary Som Dutta Sharma, said. Condemning the move of inquiry against a recommender of the collegium, the AILU said if the collegium's recommendations cannot be accepted, these should have been referred to the apex court for reconsideration. "A judge is oath-bound to uphold the Constitution without favour and fear. Chief Justice of Karnataka has failed in the instant case to stick to his oath. It's time to raise voice to save both democracy and the Constitution," the statement said. Justice Chelameswar had shot off a letter on March 21 to the CJI urging him to consider convening a full court to take up the issue of alleged executive interference in the judiciary. He had also cautioned that "the bonhomie between the judiciary and the government in any State sounds the death knell to democracy". Justice Chelameswar, who had held the unprecedented January 12 press conference along with three other senior judges raising issues including the allocation of cases by the CJI, had said, "We, the judges of the Supreme Court of India, is being accused of ceding our independence and our institutional integrity to the Executive's incremental encroachment. "The executive is always impatient and brooks no disobedience even of the judiciary if it can. Attempts were always made to treat the Chief Justices as the Departmental Heads in the Secretariat. So much for our independence and pre-eminence' as a distinct State organ."

Lawyers' body concerned over the revelations made by SC judge Chelameswar

The crisis in Supreme Court is over. Attorney General K K Venugopal has said there was an informal meeting this morning between Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and four Supreme Court judges who took on him publicly where the disputes were resolved.

&quot;All disputes settled, things are normal (now),&rdquo; Venugopal said. The Attorney General termed these developments as &quot;a storm in a tea cup&quot;.

He has also confirmed that the courts are functioning normally.

On January 12, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/judges-who-rebelled-against-cji-resume-work-in-supreme-court-29559">four senior judges of the Supreme Court</a> - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - took on CJI Misra in an extraordinary press conference.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-crisis-met-cji-in-congenial-atmosphere-everything-will-be-sorted-out-says-bar-council-29503">Also read: &#39;Met Chief Justice in congenial atmosphere, everything will be sorted out,&#39; says Bar Council </a>

They alleged that sensitive and important cases were being assigned to &quot;select benches&quot; headed by junior judges in the last few months. That charge was intended to directly target Chief Justice Misra.

The judges said the issues involving its administration were serious enough to prompt them to go public.

&quot;The four of us are convinced that unless this institution is preserved and it maintains its equanimity, democracy will not survive in this country,&quot; Justice Jasti Chelameswar told a news conference.

The justices <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-crisis-4-retired-judges-write-open-letter-to-cji-29488">released a letter</a> they had written to Misra in which they mentioned cases of &quot;far-reaching consequences for the nation and the institution&quot; that were selectively assigned by the chief justice without rational &quot;basis for such assignment&quot;.

On January 12, four senior judges of the Supreme Court - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - took on CJI Misra in an extraordinary press conference.

The crisis in Supreme Court is over. Attorney General K K Venugopal has said there was an informal meeting this morning between Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and four Supreme Court judges who took on him publicly where the disputes were resolved. "All disputes settled, things are normal (now),” Venugopal said. The Attorney General termed these developments as "a storm in a tea cup". He has also confirmed that the courts are functioning normally. On January 12, four senior judges of the Supreme Court - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - took on CJI Misra in an extraordinary press conference. Also read: 'Met Chief Justice in congenial atmosphere, everything will be sorted out,' says Bar Council They alleged that sensitive and important cases were being assigned to "select benches" headed by junior judges in the last few months. That charge was intended to directly target Chief Justice Misra. The judges said the issues involving its administration were serious enough to prompt them to go public. "The four of us are convinced that unless this institution is preserved and it maintains its equanimity, democracy will not survive in this country," Justice Jasti Chelameswar told a news conference. The justices released a letter they had written to Misra in which they mentioned cases of "far-reaching consequences for the nation and the institution" that were selectively assigned by the chief justice without rational "basis for such assignment".

Crisis in Supreme Court over: Attorney General K K Venugopal

Four senior judges of the Supreme Court came to limelight Friday after they held an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/what-justice-chelameshwar-and-other-senior-supreme-court-judges-said-in-open-meet-today-29316" target="_blank">unprecedented press conference</a>&nbsp;and talked about their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/in-a-first-4-supreme-court-judges-speak-on-corruption-29314" target="_blank">differences with the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra</a>.

The judges in the press conference&nbsp;said that the administration of the apex court is &quot;sometimes not in order&quot; and many &quot;less than desirable things&quot; have taken place.

The four judges who spoke out today were Justice J Chelameswar, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Kurien Joseph.

Justice Chelameswar

Justice Chelameswar, who is currently the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court was born on June 23, 1953. He has served as Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court in 2007. On October 10, 2011, he was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court.

He gave major judgements on freedom of speech, aadhaar and National judicial&nbsp;appointments commission.

In a two-judge bench of Supreme Court, Chelameswar along with Rohinton Fali Nariman struck down the Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. The judges held the section as unconstitutional. The law awarded three years imprisonment to anyone accused of posting emails or other electronic messages which &quot;causes annoyance or inconvenience&quot;.&nbsp;

In a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, he along with Sharad Arvind Bobde and Chokkalingam Nagappan approved an earlier order of the apex court clarifying that Indian citizens would not be deprived of basic services and government subsidies in absence of aadhaar.&nbsp;

Justice Ranjan Gogoi

Justice Ranjan Gogoi was born on November 18, 1954. He was appointed as the permanent Judge of Gauhati High Court on February 18, 2001 and was elevated as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana Court on February 12, 2011.&nbsp; He was appointed as Judge to the Supreme Court on April 23, 2012.&nbsp;

Justice Gogoi has been part of several judgements that have reformed the structure of the Indian judiciary system.&nbsp;

His bench had passed the order bringing in new electoral reforms. After the remarkable judgement, a candidate can contest elections only after making full and honest disclosure of his assets, educational and criminal background.

His bench restrained ruling parties from publishing photographs of political leaders/prominent persons in government-funded advertisements.&nbsp;

He along with other judges in a bench had declined to consider Jat community under the backward status.&nbsp;

A bench of seven judges including him issued a contempt order against Justice CS Karnan on the charge of contempt of court and degrading the judiciary.&nbsp;

Justice Madan B Lokur

Justice Madan B Lokur was born on December 31, 1953. He has vast experience in Civil, Criminal, Constitution, Revenue and Service Law and was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court in 2011.&nbsp;

He was part of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Divisional Bench in 2012 that had struck down Government of India&#39;s decision to allocate 4.5 per cent sub-quota (within the 27% Other Backward Classes quota) for minorities. The bench ruled out the government&#39;s decision saying it was based on religion.&nbsp;

While serving as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court, he suspended Special CBI Judge T Pattabhirama Rao and ordered his prosecution in a Mining scam case relating to the Reddy brothers.

Justice Kurian Joseph

Justice Kurian Joseph, born on November 30,&nbsp;1953, was elevated as the judge of Supreme Court in 2013. He had served as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2010. His retirement is scheduled for November 30, 2018.&nbsp;

Justice Joseph along with two other judges is hearing the controversial Coal Allocation Scam case.

He was also part of a three-judge bench that overruled the Afzal Guru decision on the point of admissibility of electronic evidence.

&nbsp;

The judges in the press conference said that the administration of the apex court is 'sometimes not in order' and many 'less than desirable things' have taken place

Four senior judges of the Supreme Court came to limelight Friday after they held an unprecedented press conference and talked about their differences with the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The judges in the press conference said that the administration of the apex court is "sometimes not in order" and many "less than desirable things" have taken place. The four judges who spoke out today were Justice J Chelameswar, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Kurien Joseph. Justice Chelameswar Justice Chelameswar, who is currently the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court was born on June 23, 1953. He has served as Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court in 2007. On October 10, 2011, he was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court. He gave major judgements on freedom of speech, aadhaar and National judicial appointments commission. In a two-judge bench of Supreme Court, Chelameswar along with Rohinton Fali Nariman struck down the Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. The judges held the section as unconstitutional. The law awarded three years imprisonment to anyone accused of posting emails or other electronic messages which "causes annoyance or inconvenience". In a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, he along with Sharad Arvind Bobde and Chokkalingam Nagappan approved an earlier order of the apex court clarifying that Indian citizens would not be deprived of basic services and government subsidies in absence of aadhaar. Justice Ranjan Gogoi Justice Ranjan Gogoi was born on November 18, 1954. He was appointed as the permanent Judge of Gauhati High Court on February 18, 2001 and was elevated as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana Court on February 12, 2011. He was appointed as Judge to the Supreme Court on April 23, 2012. Justice Gogoi has been part of several judgements that have reformed the structure of the Indian judiciary system. His bench had passed the order bringing in new electoral reforms. After the remarkable judgement, a candidate can contest elections only after making full and honest disclosure of his assets, educational and criminal background. His bench restrained ruling parties from publishing photographs of political leaders/prominent persons in government-funded advertisements. He along with other judges in a bench had declined to consider Jat community under the backward status. A bench of seven judges including him issued a contempt order against Justice CS Karnan on the charge of contempt of court and degrading the judiciary. Justice Madan B Lokur Justice Madan B Lokur was born on December 31, 1953. He has vast experience in Civil, Criminal, Constitution, Revenue and Service Law and was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court in 2011. He was part of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Divisional Bench in 2012 that had struck down Government of India's decision to allocate 4.5 per cent sub-quota (within the 27% Other Backward Classes quota) for minorities. The bench ruled out the government's decision saying it was based on religion. While serving as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court, he suspended Special CBI Judge T Pattabhirama Rao and ordered his prosecution in a Mining scam case relating to the Reddy brothers. Justice Kurian Joseph Justice Kurian Joseph, born on November 30, 1953, was elevated as the judge of Supreme Court in 2013. He had served as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2010. His retirement is scheduled for November 30, 2018. Justice Joseph along with two other judges is hearing the controversial Coal Allocation Scam case. He was also part of a three-judge bench that overruled the Afzal Guru decision on the point of admissibility of electronic evidence.

Things you should know about SC judges who addressed media on Friday