SC Collegium Recommends Elevation Of Delhi HC Chief Justice Manmohan As Supreme Court Judge

The Supreme Court collegium, led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, recommended Delhi HC Chief Justice Manmohan's elevation to the top court, with four justices concurring.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday recommended to the Centre the name of Delhi High Court Chief Justice Manmohan for elevation to the top court. The other members of the collegium include justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and AS Oka.

Currently, the apex 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 the 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 November 28, 2024, deliberation and discussion were held on the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court. The Collegium said, “Justice Manmohan was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi on March 13, 2008, and has been functioning as the Chief Justice of that High Court since September 29, 2024”.

The statement said 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 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, when he was appointed as its acting chief justice on November 9, 2023. Justice Manmohan, 61, is the son of the 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 the 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.