Expert: Let’s keep the process under wraps Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIBG&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI New Delhi: Chief Justice of Canada and the first woman to hold the post, Justice Beverley McLachlin, appears surprised by the RTI campaign in India for making public discussions in the collegium on appointment of judges to the high courts and the Supreme Court. Transparency in appointment of judges could be achieved by putting in place a system that inspired confidence and each country had its peculiar system, she said. “But to make public discussions about a prospective candidate for the post of a judge is a little too much to ask for because it could unfairly harm the reputation of someone,” Justice McLachlin said. Not everyone can be as comfortable in the hot seat of chief justice of a country as McLachlin has been for the last 10 years. Well, one reason could be that the seat is not as hot as that of the Chief Justice of India, who is facing pressure from judicial right-wingers to reveal everything that goes behind administrative decisions, including the collegium’s discussions on every person considered for appointment. How comfortable is the Canadian system to Right to Information, especially relating to appointment of judges.The Canadian government selects judges from a panel of names recommended by a panel comprising judges, lawyers and laymen.
