Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Collegium System
"The judge-led mechanism through which the higher judiciary in India appoints and transfers its own judges."
The Collegium System is the process for appointing and transferring judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. It is not written into the Constitution but evolved through the Supreme Court's Three Judges Cases (1981, 1993 and 1998). The Supreme Court collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India along with the four senior-most judges of the court, and it recommends names to the government, which can send them back once but must accept a reiterated recommendation.
GS2 (judiciary, separation of powers, appointments). Prelims tests the Three Judges Cases and the composition of the collegium. Mains debates transparency, the executive-judiciary balance and the stalled Memorandum of Procedure. Anchor: through 2026 the collegium continued recommending elevations and transfers, including High Court Chief Justice appointments, even as the revised Memorandum of Procedure remained unfinalised.
- 1 Appoints and transfers judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts
- 2 Evolved through the Three Judges Cases, not by statute
- 3 SC collegium: the CJI plus four senior-most judges
- 4 Government can return a name once but must accept a reiteration
- 5 Memorandum of Procedure governs the detailed process
- 6 Criticised for opacity; defended as a shield for judicial independence
In 2026 the Supreme Court collegium recommended the elevation of several High Court Chief Justices to the apex court, underlining the continuing debate over transparency in judicial appointments.
