NJAC will bring transparency: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

AHMEDABAD: Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi today pitched for National Judicial Appointments Commission ( NJAC) saying the collegium system of judges appointing judges in higher judiciary "lacked" transparency.

"The 99th constitutional amendment and National Judicial Appointments Commission Act -- which empowers the Commission to appoint judges based on ability and integrity --will bring transparency in the judicial system," said Rohatgi.

"The decision in the ongoing case of judicial appointments (in the Supreme Court) will become a landmark case for judiciary as it will decide how the judges will be selected in our country," he added.

He was speaking on 'Judicial Appointment Commission: A Need for Reform?' at the Institute of Law of Nirma University.

"The collegium system was also criticised by various Supreme Court judges including one of the judges quoting `the best-kept secrets of India is the way the collegium functions' thereby indicating lack of transparency and lack of a publicly declared procedure or criteria," said Rohatgi.

"The new system will allow the voice of the civil society to be heard and bring the quality of judicial system under the public gaze," Rohatgi added.