Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is said to be deeply upset over the adverse reports appearing in the media on the decisions taken by the collegium.

According to sources, the CJI has enquired with a number of judicial officers about the source of the leaks of confidential information on the collegium meeting of January 10 that recommended the elevation of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dinesh Maheshwari to the Supreme Court.

Both judges are to be sworn in at the Supreme Court at 10.30am on Friday.

Sources told The Telegraph that the “CJI was very upset” and had enquired with some of the judges in the collegium about who was leaking the information.

The CJI is understood to believe that the leaks were selective and aimed at circulating information that sought to discredit the decisions taken unanimously by the collegium on January 10.

He is understood to have confided in his close colleagues that much damage is being inflicted upon the institution by such selective leaks.

An impression has gained ground that a collegium meeting in December had decided to elevate Justice Rajendra Menon, the chief justice of Delhi High Court, and Justice Pradeep Nandarajog, the chief justice of Rajasthan High Court, and that they were replaced with Justices Khanna and Maheshwari a month later.

The names of Justices Menon and Nandarajog were discussed at the December meeting but not finalised as the matter required further consultation, sources said.

Because of the intervening winter vacation, a decision had to be postponed. By the time the court had reopened, Justice Madan B. Lokur, one of the collegium members, had retired. This led to the induction of Justice Arun Mishra into the reconstituted collegium and the January 10 decision was unanimous, the sources said. Various other names were also discussed at the January 10 meeting but were not approved, the sources said.

Speculation is rife that the row relating to Justices Khanna and Maheshwari had been triggered by a retired judge.