Supreme Court: Collegium Decisions Are Beyond Judicial Review

The Supreme Court has categorically ruled that decisions of the Collegium — the apex body responsible for recommending judges to India's High Courts and the Supreme Court — are beyond the scope of judicial review. The bench refused to interfere in the selections and declined to entertain a petition filed by a Himachal Pradesh judicial officer who had challenged the Collegium's picks for High Court judgeships.

The court cautioned that allowing judicial review of Collegium recommendations would open a 'pandora's box', signalling deep concern about the implications of subjecting the appointments process to litigation. The ruling makes clear that the Collegium's decisions, once made, cannot be challenged through the court system — even by those directly affected by those choices.

The Himachal Pradesh judicial officer's plea was an unusual attempt by a sitting member of the subordinate judiciary to contest the Collegium's selection of candidates for elevation to the High Court bench. By refusing to entertain it, the Supreme Court has drawn a firm boundary around the Collegium's authority and autonomy.

The judgment reinforces the long-standing constitutional convention in India that the appointment of judges to superior courts is the exclusive domain of the Collegium, a system that itself remains the subject of wider political and legal debate. For now, the court has made clear it will not allow that system to be second-guessed from within the judiciary itself.