Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Friday (August 15, 2025) clarified that the powerful Supreme Court Collegium, which he heads, cannot “dictate” names to High Court Collegiums for judicial appointments.
“Even the Supreme Court Collegium cannot dictate the High Court Collegium to recommend the names,” Chief Justice Gavai said in his Independence Day address at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on the court’s lawns.
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The Chief Justice said the High Court Collegiums take the “first call” on who they would want as their fellow judges. At most, the Chief Justice said, the apex court Collegium could “recommend” names to its counterparts in the High Courts.
The Chief Justice said in a federal judiciary, the Supreme Court and the State High Courts were neither superior nor inferior to each other. The relationship was that of mutual respect.
