"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides": Supreme Court rejects plea seeking details of December 12, 2018, Collegium meeting held, "Whatever is discussed shall not be in the public domain. Only final decision required to be uploaded"

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea challenging an order of the Delhi High Court which had dismissed a petition seeking details of the Supreme Court Collegium meeting held on December 12, 2018 that were never made public [Anjali Bhardwaj v CPIO, Supreme Court].
|
A bench comprising Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar held that while some discussions might have taken place at that Collegium meeting, that cannot be said to be the final decision.
"Some discussions might have taken place, but they cannot be said to be final decision. Only final resolution considered decision. Collegium is a multi member body whose decision is a resolution. The consultation (of the Collegium in that meeting) was not concluded and was, therefore, adjourned," the Court said.
The Court emphasised that only the final discussion of the Collegium is required to be uploaded on the Supreme Court website and not the discussions which happen within the Collegium.
"Whatever is discussed shall not be in public domain. Only final decision required to be uploaded," the Court said.
The judgment was rendered on a plea by activist Anjali Bhardwaj who argued that information cannot be denied on the basis of assertion that it does not exist.
“Multiple documents, including official records, reference the agenda for the collegium meeting,” the petition said.
The plea filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan stated that the information regarding appointments and recommendations by the Supreme Court Collegium cannot be regarded as a protected class of documents, as no information relevant to public interest can be covered under the veil of secrecy.
The order under challenge had upheld a decision of the single-judge which had come on appeal against an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) upholding the stance of the Supreme Court that no disclosure about the meeting can be made since no resolution was passed in that meeting, as the required consultation could not be completed.
The petitioner had said that on October 3, 2017, the Collegium had resolved to publicise its decisions on its website, whenever recommendations are sent to the government with regard to initial elevation of judges to the High Courts, their appointments as permanent judges, elevation to the post of Chief Justice of High Court, transfer of High Court Chief Justices/judges and elevation to the Supreme Court.
It was stated that on December 12, 2018, a meeting of the Collegium was held in which certain decisions were taken, but no information about the same was put on the website.
On January 10, 2019, a newly constituted Collegium of the apex court (without Justice Madan B Lokur) met again and passed a resolution stating that it had met on December 12, 2018 to consider and recommend names for appointment as judges to the Supreme Court and to consider the proposal for transfer of Chief Justices and judges of the High Courts.
Bhardwaj had said that it was apparent that there was a meeting of Collegium on December 12, 2018 with an agenda and some decisions were in fact, taken during that meeting.
The petitioner filed a Right to Information (RTI) application with the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the apex court on February 26, 2019. Through a letter dated March 11, 2019, the CPIO stated that the information sought was held to be not proper by the First Appellate Authority (FAA), and therefore, not relevant.
The Second Appeal before the CIC was also denied on the same grounds on December 16, 2021.
References:
Support Us
Satyagraha was born from the heart of our land, with an undying aim to unveil the true essence of Bharat. It seeks to illuminate the hidden tales of our valiant freedom fighters and the rich chronicles that haven't yet sung their complete melody in the mainstream.
While platforms like NDTV and 'The Wire' effortlessly garner funds under the banner of safeguarding democracy, we at Satyagraha walk a different path. Our strength and resonance come from you. In this journey to weave a stronger Bharat, every little contribution amplifies our voice. Let's come together, contribute as you can, and champion the true spirit of our nation.
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
ICICI Bank of Satyaagrah | Razorpay Bank of Satyaagrah | PayPal Bank of Satyaagrah - For International Payments |
If all above doesn't work, then try the LINK below:
Please share the article on other platforms
DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text. The website also frequently uses non-commercial images for representational purposes only in line with the article. We are not responsible for the authenticity of such images. If some images have a copyright issue, we request the person/entity to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will take the necessary actions to resolve the issue.
Related Articles
- Height of Hypocrisy in the land of Law where accused is hailed and acquitted, but victim is shamed by Court and Church: A timeline of the Bishop Franco Mulakkal case
- ‘Come on, one must not be so narrow-minded’: Supreme Court dismisses plea demanding a total ban on Pakistani artists in India, says... to be a patriot, one must not be hostile to foreigners, also lauds GoI for Cricket World Cup with Pakistan participation
- "Blur lines between religious tradition and property law, a riveting legal drama indeed": Supreme Court rejects appeal in Salem Muslim Burial Ground Protection Committee v. State of Tamil Nadu, "Mere notification not enough to declare wakf property"
- "Unheard of:" Bombay High Court deprecated Maharashtra government for keeping a 21-year-old student Nikhil Bhamre in jail for a social media post that did not even name NCP Chief Sharad Pawar
- "ATM is now Closed": Puneet Khurana, co-founder of For God's Cake & Woodbox Cafe, died by suicide, blaiming harassment by wife Manika Pahwa & in-laws over ₹10L demands, ₹2Cr property disputes, ₹70K/month legal fees, and domestic abuse
- "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often": Will come up with new IPC, CrPC drafts soon and National Investigation Agency branches to be set up in all states by 2024 - Home Minister Amit Shah at Chintan Shivir of all State home ministers
- "अल्हम्दुलिल्लाह!!! Mob has no religion": The Rajasthan High Court grants bail to 18 Islamists accused in the Hindu Shobha Yatra attack in Chittorgarh, highlighting the challenges of pinpointing culprits amidst the chaos of mob-induced communal violence
- Only Dhimmis can be a good Hindu – An article on Shekhar Gupta’s ThePrint argues ‘defending namaz’
- "What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice": Supreme Court declines to entertain PIL for creation of National Commission for Men to look into suicides among married men, says "No question of misplaced sympathy for anyone"
- "Freedom is whatever the Court says it is, pending revision": Kiren Rijiju in Rajya Sabha, "Until we create a new system for Appointment of Judges, issue of Judicial Vacancies will continue to arise which is a big reason for the huge pendency of cases"
- Hours after Shivling discovered inside disputed Gyanvapi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi provokes Muslims against court-ordered proceedings amidst chants of ‘Naara-e-Takbeer’ and ‘Allahu Akbar
- SC's interim order restraining mosque surveys under the Places of Worship Act sends a troubling signal, empowering mob veto and prioritizing 'harmony' over constitutional rights and judicial independence, raising serious concerns for democracy
- Here are some of the points that the Parliamentary Standing Committee, headed by Shashi Tharoor, raised with Twitter
- "At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst": Justice P Velmurugan, Madras HC observed that "Evidence of woman's relatives in matrimonial dispute can't be brushed aside terming them interested witnesses"
- "किजिये मीटिंग मीटिंग": In response to the 'absolute failure of state machinery,' Calcutta High Court lambasts the West Bengal govt, threatening to close RG Kar Hospital & relocate patients, while ordering a CBI probe into the alarming vandalism incident