The judge-led mechanism for appointing and transferring judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, in which a collegium of senior judges recommends names to the President.
- Based on Articles 124 and 217 read with the "Three Judges Cases" (1981, 1993, 1998), which gave primacy to the judiciary in appointments.
- The Supreme Court collegium is the Chief Justice of India plus the four senior-most Supreme Court judges.
- The High Court collegium is the Chief Justice of India with two senior-most Supreme Court judges, with inputs from the High Court collegium.
- The 99th Amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014, sought to replace it but were struck down in 2015 for violating the concept basic structure (judicial independence).
- A Memorandum of Procedure guides the process; the government may return a recommendation once, but a reiteration is binding.
Judicial independence and the failed NJAC are recurring polity items; the collegium's composition and the Three Judges Cases are standard recall.
The collegium is not in the text of the Constitution; it is a judicial interpretation; the NJAC was struck down, so the collegium continues.
Judge-led appointment mechanism (CJI plus senior judges) from the Three Judges Cases; the NJAC replacement was struck down in 2015.