National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)
- Context: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant orally stated that the court will consider a plea seeking to revive the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
About National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)
- It was created through the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014 and NJAC Act, 2014.
- It sought to replace the collegium system with a multi-stakeholder body to appoint judges to the SC and HCs.
Composition of NJAC:
- Chief Justice of India (Chairperson)
- Two senior-most SC judges
- Union Law Minister
- Two eminent persons (selected by PM, CJI, and LoP, with one from SC/ST/OBC/women/minorities)
Reasons for Striking Down the NJAC
- In 2015, a 5-judge Bench (4:1) ruled NJAC unconstitutional as it violated the Basic Structure Doctrine.
- The Court observed that judicial primacy in appointments is part of the basic structure and NJAC allowed the executive to interfere via veto powers.
- Concerns over independence of judiciary and possible 3-3 deadlocks led to the rejection of the law.
