New Delhi, Apr 4 (IANS): Supreme Court Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday said that while nobody wants an opaque system, no institution can be destroyed in the name of transparency.

He was responding to a plea to make the selection of judges a transparent affair.

"We find good people who choose to become judges. They fear negative things about them, right or wrong, will come out into public domain," said the CJI in response to advocate Prashant Bhushan's arguments regarding transparency in the selection process.

"Finally, not only do they not become judges but their reputation is lost," Justice Gogoi said.

"It destroys reputations, family, careers... For transparency you cannot destroy an institution,"

Bhushan commenced the arguments on behalf of RTI applicant Subhash Chandra Agarwal after the Attorney General on Wednesday argued for the Supreme Court against the disclosure of information pertaining to judges' appointment.

Bhushan contended that the judges do not inhabit in a different universe and even minutes of the Union Cabinet meeting were covered under the transparency law.

"But for judges there has to be class exemption. Therefore, selection of judges has to be kept out of public gaze... This is not being transparent," said Bhushan.