Overview
- Justice Ujjal Bhuyan made the remarks on Saturday, Aug 1, 2026, at the Vidhi Centre’s JALDI report launch and asked the JALDI team to study the collegium’s recent lack of disclosure.
- He said the last three Supreme Court collegium resolutions gave no reasons for elevations and argued that that omission does a disservice to judges whose work deserves public recognition.
- Bhuyan cited concrete concerns: a January 18, 2023 collegium reiteration for senior counsel Saurabh Kirpal remains pending after years, and past controversial judicial remarks—including a 2024 Allahabad High Court speech likening a community to “ants”—show the risks of opaque appointments.
- He defended measured transparency measures such as live-streaming while warning that decontextualised clips can mislead, and he pointed to a July 24 order that sought to keep livestreaming but curb misuse.
- The comments have renewed public and policy debate over balancing judicial independence with accountability, with no formal collegium change announced and attention now focused on whether the court will adopt uniform norms or publish clearer selection criteria.