Defending the alleged charges against the judiciary that ‘judges are themselves appointing judges’, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Sunday called it as a “widely propagated myth” and said that judiciary is just one of the many players involved in the process of selecting judicial officers.

“It is nowadays fashionable to reiterate phrases such as ‘judges are themselves appointing judges’. I consider this to be one of the widely propagated myths. The fact is that the judiciary is merely one of the many players involved in the process,” Ramana said while delivering a lecture on “Indian Judiciary – Challenges of future” at Siddhartha Law College, Vijayawada.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana’s statement come days after the Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on December 14 has approved the proposal for the appointment of three additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges.

The three additional judges of the Bombay High Court whose names have been approved are Madhav Jayajirao Jamdar, Amit Bhalchandra Borkar and Shrikant Dattatray Kulkarni.

Explaining the appointment of judges, the CJI said, “Many authorities are involved, including the Union Law Ministry, state governments, Governors, High Court Collegia, Intelligence Bureau, and lastly, the topmost executive, who all are designated to examine the suitability of a candidate.”

“I am sad to note that the well-informed also propagate the aforesaid notion as these narratives suit certain sections,” he added.

Listing some “persistent challenges” that the judiciary faces, CJI said, “The current state of judicial infrastructure is terrible to say the least. It does not even meet the requirements of all existing judicial officers. To meet the present and future needs, a major influx of funds in a systematic plan is imperative.”

Stating that filling vacancies is one of the challenges of the judiciary, the CJI appreciated the efforts of the government in appointing several judges in recent times.

However, he added, “Some recommendations made by the high courts are yet to be sent to the Supreme Court by the Union Law Ministry” and urged the government to strictly adhere to the timelines laid down in the Malik Mazhar Case