New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium has recommended to the Union government to appoint Justice N Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and Justice R Mahadevan, acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court, as judges of the apex court.
The collegium, in a resolution uploaded on its website on Thursday, said there are two vacancies in the Supreme Court: the first occasioned by the retirement of Justice Aniruddha Bose on 10 April 2024 and the second by the retirement of Justice A S Bopanna on 19 May 2024.
Justice Singh originally hails from Manipur and, on appointment, would be the first from the state to become an apex court judge. He was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on 17 October 2011. On the formation of the High Court of Manipur, he was transferred as a judge of that High Court from the Gauhati High Court.
On 15 February 2023, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He is due to retire on 28 February 2025. “His appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first Judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court”, said the collegium.
The collegium said Justice N Kotiswar Singh has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work which has been rendered by him on the administrative side, as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“Considering the candidature of Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh in terms of his judicial performance, administrative acumen, integrity and merit, the Collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court”, it said.
Recommending Justice R Mahadevan elevation to the apex court, the collegium said he is eminently suitable for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court. “Mr Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from the State of Tamil Nadu. His appointment will bring diversity to the Bench”, said the collegium.
“The Collegium has taken due note of the fact that Mr Justice R Mahadevan ranks third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras High Court including the Judges who have been posted as Chief Justices outside the Madras High Court. At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Mr Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community”, said the collegium, which is headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
The collegium also comprises Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy. “For the above reasons, the Collegium is of the view that he is suitable and fit for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court. In view of the foregoing, the Collegium resolves to recommend that the appointment of the above persons be made in the following order of seniority: (i) Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh, and (ii) Mr Justice R Mahadevan”, said the resolution.
The collegium said it has considered the names of the chief justices of the high courts and of senior Judges in the high courts within the zone of consideration. “In arriving at its recommendations, the Collegium has had due regard to: a. The seniority of the Judges under consideration; b. Merit as demonstrated by the judgments authored by the Judges and performance; c. Integrity; d. The need to ensure diversity in terms of region, gender and community; and e. The need for inclusion of the marginalized and backward segments of the community”, said the collegium.
