The collegium system for appointment of judges to Supreme Court and High Courts was evolved through which series of cases?
- Kesavananda Bharati trilogy
- Three Judges Cases (1981, 1993, 1998)
- Minerva Mills trilogy
- Basic Structure trilogy
Answer: Three Judges Cases (1981, 1993, 1998)
Three Judges Cases: (a) First Judges Case (S.P. Gupta, 1981): Executive had primacy in appointments, (b) Second Judges Case (1993): Collegium system evolved; CJI's opinion has primacy, (c) Third Judges Case (1998): Collegium expanded to CJI + 4 senior-most SC judges. 99th Amendment (NJAC) struck down in 2015, reaffirming collegium. Ongoing debate on balancing judicial independence with accountability in appointments.