Justice Chelameswar was the lone voice of dissent against the 'judges-selecting-judges' collegium system. He opines that the govt and members of civil society too must have a say in it. He said there was an urgent need for comprehensive reform in the system and lamented that the Supreme Court did not approve the NJAC, which was a step in that direction.

"Transparency is an aspect of rationality. Proceedings of the collegium were absolutely opaque. The records are absolutely beyond the reach of any person including the judges of this court who are not lucky enough to become CJI. Such a state of affairs does not either enhance the credibility of the institution nor is good for the people of this country," Justice Chelameswar said.