India, July 3 -- The Supreme Court collegium this week interviewed at least 50 candidates in just two days, setting a record for the highest number of face-to-face interactions in one go for high court appointments, and reinforcing the collegium's shift towards personality assessment over paper credentials.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai and justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, the top three judges of the Supreme Court, held extensive one-on-one interactions with judicial officers and lawyers recommended for the high courts of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Rajasthan and others.

People familiar with the development said the collegium opted for these interactions "over and above" the co...