With CJI NV Ramana retiring soon, one legacy he left behind is that he filled up many vacancies in the Supreme Court and High Courts. This was unlike his predecessor, Justice SA Bobde, who made no appointments to the Supreme Court due to the collegium being deadlocked for 22 months.
The central government appoints the Chief Justice of India based on seniority. But this convention was breached two times (in 1973 and 1977) when senior judges were bypassed and pliable junior judges were appointed to the office of the CJI by the Indira Gandhi government.
Supreme court suggested that an expert body, comprising representatives of the NITI Aayog, Finance Commission, RBI, political parties and other stakeholders, should examine the pros and cons of freebies, while acknowledging that it is a serious issue.