Retired Justice Mithal Proposes Collegium Reform: Include President's Nominee, AG

The Supreme Court collegium should be expanded to include a nominee of the President of India, the Attorney General for India and an independent constitutional functionary to improve transparency and restore public confidence in judicial appointments, former Supreme Court Justice Pankaj Mithal said on Thursday.Speaking in Hindi, at the fifth edition of Nyay Nirman @ 2047: Building the Legal Architecture of India’s Global Future, Justice Mithal said reform of the judicial appointments process was among the most urgent changes required as India looks towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. “However, we must candidly acknowledge that the Collegium system is an extra-constitutional authority that we created. While it was established with good intentions, it now requires substantial improvement,” he said.Justice Mithal proposed expanding the Supreme Court collegium to seven members. Apart from judges, he said, the sixth member could be an eminent person nominated by the President or the Attorney General for India, who represents both the bar and the government.The seventh member could be a distinguished constitutional post-holder nominated by the President, such as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), he suggested. He said, “If a seven-member body sits together and makes selections, public confidence in the appointment process will be substantially restored. People will feel that the process is inclusive, that the Bar has a voice, and that independent