New Delhi: The Centre on Monday notified the appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran, Chief Justice of Patna High Court, 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 Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran, Chief Justice, Patna High Court as a judge of the Supreme Court of India".
On January 7, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, recommended the elevation of Justice Chandran, as a judge of the apex court. Within a week, the Centre cleared Justice Chandran's elevation to the apex court.
The Collegium, led by CJI and also comprising of four senior-most judges, in a statement, said in its meeting held on 7 January 2025, the Collegium deliberated on and discussed the names of chief justices and senior puisne judges of the high courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court. The Collegium unanimously recommended the elevation of Justice K. Vinod Chandran, as a judge of the Supreme Court. The Collegium also comprised Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay S Oka.
Justice Chandran was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Kerala on 8 November 2011 and was elevated as the chief justice of the High Court of Judicature at Patna on 29 March 2023. He has been functioning as the chief justice of Patna High Court since then. He has served as a judge of the high court for over 11 years and as a chief justice of a big high court for more than a year.
The collegium said during his long tenure as a judge and chief justice of the high court, Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law, and he stands at Sl. No. 13 in the combined all-India seniority of high court judges’.
"In the seniority of Judges hailing from the High Court of Kerala, Mr. Justice K. Vinod Chandran stands at Sl. No. 1. While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala," said the collegium.
Justice C T Ravikumar who belonged to the Kerala High Court superannuated on January 5, 2025. Of the total strength of 34 judges, the apex court is presently working with 32 judges including the CJI. After Justice Chandra’s appointment, the working strength of the apex court will be 33 judges.
