“CJI Chandrachud Used To Seek Government's Pre-Approval Before Collegium Discussed Names For Judicial Appointments” - A very serious allegations made by former SC judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul’s in his forthcoming memoir "Without Fear of Favour" Former SC judge Justice Kaul stated that , Govt respects judges with spine… but the former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud was “too deferential to the Government” when it came to appointments. At one time, he sought its “nod” before the Collegium had met and, once, even voiced the Government’s “bizarre” query regarding the caste of a minority-faith judge candidate. ◾Justice Kaul recounts one Collegium meeting where five names had been agreed upon, a sixth was proposed at the last minute. According to Justice Kaul, Collegium members had broadly agreed on five names. On the day of the meeting, Chandrachud proposed a sixth name, which other members resisted. Kaul says he suspected that name had come at the government’s instance, as Chandrachud took him aside during the Collegium process and wondered whether he should telephone the government to ascertain its view. Kaul says he objected and told him that this could not be done in the middle of Collegium deliberations.Ultimately, the five names proceeded and the sixth did not. ◾Justice Kaul's revelations make an old image impossible to forget. Prime Minister Modi at then, CJI D.Y. Chandrachud's residence for Ganesh Puja, an extraordinary public display of proximity between the head of the Executive and the head of the Judiciary. At the time, former CJI R.M. Lodha warned that a certain distance must be maintained between the judiciary and executive and said it was the first time in his memory that a PM had visited a sitting CJI's official residence. livelaw.in/top-stories/cji-c…