New Delhi:The Centre on Tuesday cleared the appointment of Delhi High Court Chief Justice Manmohan as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a post on X, said: "In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Manmohan, Chief Justice, High Court of Delhi as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India (sic)".
Last week, the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna recommended to the Centre the name of Justice Manmohan for elevation to the top court. The other members of the collegium are -- Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy, and A S Oka.
Currently, the top court stands at a strength of 32 judges against the sanctioned 34 judges, including the CJI. The two vacancies in the apex court arose after retirements of Justice Hima Kohli and former CJI D Y Chandrachud.
The Collegium, in a statement uploaded on the apex court's website, said that in a meeting held on 28th November 2024, deliberation and discussion were held on the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Court’s eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.
The collegium said, "Mr. Justice Manmohan was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi on 13th March 2008 and has been functioning as the Chief Justice of that High Court since 29th September 2024”.
The statement said Mr. Justice Manmohan stands at serial. No. 2 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court judges and he is the senior-most Judge in the High Court of Delhi.
"While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that, at present, the Bench of Supreme Court is represented by only one Judge from the High Court of Delhi. The Supreme Court Collegium has, therefore, unanimously recommended that Mr. Justice Manmohan be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India," said the statement.
On September 29, Justice Manmohan took oath as the 32nd chief justice of the Delhi High Court before which he was appointed as its acting chief justice on November 9, 2023.
Justice Manmohan, 61, is the son of late Jagmohan, a famous bureaucrat-turned politician who also served as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
Justice Manmohan was appointed as an additional judge of Delhi High Court on March 13, 2008 and made a permanent judge on December 17, 2009. He enrolled as an advocate in 1987 after obtaining a law degree from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University.
