Chelameswar retires from Supreme Court, regrets non- elevation of K. M. Joseph

Justice Chelameswar served the apex court for six years

Justice J. Chelameswar, senior most judge of the Supreme Court retired on Friday after a tenure of six years and eight months. He left for Vijaywada this morning.

Justice Chelameswar, who shot into limelight on January 12 by holding a press conference along with three others Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph, was an open critic of the functioning of the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

He was appointed on the same day, October 10, 2011 along with CJI Misra, who became senior by virtue of his seniority of being sworn in first. Being a victim of collegium system, he has been criticising the collegium system of judicial appointments as he feels that lot of “bargaining’ taking place in the appointments.

When the apex court quashed the national judicial appointments commission law, Justice Chelameswar criticised the “opaque” collegium system and called for more transparent procedure.

He was keen on elevation of the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court K. M. Joseph as a Judge of the apex court, two years ago, which is yet to materialise with the Centre returning the file of Justice Joseph.

The present collegium comprised of the CJI, and Justices J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph. With Justice Chelameswar’s retirement, Justice A. K. Sikri will be inducted into the collegium.