On SC Collegium’s recommendation, Centre appointed new Judges of the SC
After SC Collegium’s recommendations, the Centre promoted two additional High Court justices to the Supreme Court, bringing the Top Court’s total judge strength to 34, one week after five judges were appointed to it. Both, Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Rajesh Bindal, who are now Chief Justices of the Gujarat and Allahabad High Courts, will be appointed as Supreme Court judges.
On January 31, the Sc collegium made recommendations on their names.
Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, the senior judge of the J&K and Ladakh HC, was nominated by the Collegium, which was made up of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice S K Kaul, and Justice K M Joseph, to be the CJ of the Manipur High Court. After Justice P V Sanjay Kumar was elevated to the SC, the position of CJ for the Manipur High Court recently became vacant.
The Collegium agreed on Justice Thakur’s name and stated that the J&K & Ladakh HC is not represented among the latest batch of HC Chief Justices as its former Chief Justice A M Magrey retired in December 2022.
As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President of India has appointed the following Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court. My best to them.
1.Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad HC.
2.Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, Gujarat HC— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 10, 2023
“The following Chief Justices of High Courts have been appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court by the provisions of the Indian Constitution. My warmest wishes go out to Chief Justices Rajesh Bindal of the Allahabad High Court and Aravind Kumar of the Gujarat High Court,” Kiren Rijiju, minister of law, tweeted.
The Collegium decided on Justice Sonia G Gokani, the most senior Judge in the HC, for the Gujarat High Court, whose present Chief Justice Aravind Kumar was nominated for promotion to the SC on January 31. If her appointment is granted, Justice Gokani, who is set to retire on February 25, would be the first female Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court. The Collegium stated that its suggestion should be handled “on priority” due to her impending retirement.
The Collegium’ resolution stated that Justice Gokani’s appointment as CJ “would create a sense of inclusivity and facilitate a representation for judges recruited from the services in the office of Chief Justice” and noted that she is a member of the Gujarat state judicial service.
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The Collegium also approved Justice Pritinker Diwaker’s appointment as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. The position of Allahabad High Court Chief Justice is anticipated to become vacant shortly as Rajesh Bindal, the present CJ, has been recommended for promotion to the SC.
Pankaj Mithal, chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court, Sanjay Karol, PV Sanjay Kumar, chief justice of the Manipur High Court, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Manoj Misra, judges of the Patna High Court, took their oaths as Supreme Court justices earlier this week.
The SC Collegium has also recommended names of 5 judges for elevation as Chief Justices of the respective High Courts.
The collegium system, in which a group of judges with the most seniority nominate candidates for elevation to the higher judiciary, has emerged as a key cause of contention between the Supreme Court and the Centre. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has frequently criticized the system, and the court has responded in kind, leading to a heated verbal confrontation.
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