Which one of the following judgements is associated with the primacy of the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium of Judges in the appointment and transfer of the higher judiciary?
- AKesavananda Bharati vs. State of Kerala
- BS. P. Gupta vs. President of India
- CManeka Gandhi vs. Union of India
- DS. R. Bommai vs. Union of India
Explanation
The primacy of the Chief Justice and the collegium in judicial appointments evolved through the 'Judges cases'. Strictly, collegium primacy was established by the Second Judges Case (1993, SCAORA), which overruled S.P. Gupta (1981) — the First Judges Case had upheld executive primacy. Among the given options, however, S.P. Gupta is the only judgement from the Judges-cases lineage: Kesavananda Bharati concerns the basic structure doctrine, Maneka Gandhi concerns Article 21, and S.R. Bommai concerns federalism and Article 356. Hence B is the intended answer.