New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has recommended the appointment of new chief justices in the eight high courts across the country.
The collegium recommended the appointment of chief justices of high courts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras and Meghalaya.
The collegium in a resolution, uploaded on the apex court website on Jul 11, said that having considered the names of judges from different high courts bearing in mind their seniority, performance and the need, as far as possible, to provide representation to the different high courts among the chief justices.
The collegium said Justice Manmohan is the acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi and he was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Delhi on 13 March 2008 and is due to retire on 16 December 2024.
“Mr Justice Manmohan ranks at Sl No 3 in the All India Seniority list of High Court Judges. Bearing in mind the Memorandum of Procedure, Mr Justice Manmohan can be appointed as the Chief Justice of his parent High Court, at this stage. The Collegium, therefore, recommends that Mr Justice Manmohan be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi”, said the collegium, led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
The collegium recommended that Justice Rajiv Shakdher be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh in the vacancy caused by the transfer of Mr Justice M S Ramachandra Rao to the High Court of Jharkhand, consequent upon the retirement of Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi.
The collegium said Justice Suresh Kumar Kait is a senior Judge of the High Court of Delhi, who was appointed on 5 September 2008.
“He belongs to the Scheduled Caste category. Mr Justice Suresh Kumar Kait ranks at Sl No 5 in the All India Seniority list of High Court Judges, including Chief Justices. He is due to retire on 23 May 2025. The Judges of the High Court of Delhi who are senior to Mr Justice Suresh Kumar Kait are due to retire in the near future. Bearing in mind the position of Mr Justice Suresh Kumar Kait in the All India Seniority list, the Collegium is of the view that he should be recommended for appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh”, said the collegium.
The collegium said the High Court for the states of Punjab and Haryana is one of the largest high courts in the country. “Hence, it would be appropriate to appoint the seniormost puisne Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a Chief Justice. The Collegium accordingly recommends that Mr Justice G S Sandhawalia be appointed as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court”, said the resolution.
The resolution said Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar is the seniormost puisne Judge of the High Court of Bombay with experience on the judicial and administrative side, the collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala.
“Bearing in mind that Mr Justice Tashi Rabstan would be the first Chief Justice from the region of Ladakh which has otherwise little or no representation among the Judges of the High Court and no representation at all so far in the office of Chief Justice, the Collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya on the retirement of Mr Justice S Vaidyanathan, Chief Justice of that High Court, who is due to retire on 16 August 2024”, said the collegium.
The resolution said Justice K R Shriram is a senior Judge of the High Court of Bombay with experience on the judicial and administrative side, the collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras.
“Considering the seniority of Mr Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and the exigencies of the administration of justice, the Collegium considers it appropriate in the public interest to recommend his transfer as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jharkhand consequent upon retirement of Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi. The Collegium recommends accordingly, “ said the collegium, in the resolution.
