SC collegium recommends 13 judicial officers among 18 for HC judge appointments

The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has recommended the names of 13 judicial officers for appointment as judges of different high courts.

The collegium, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, recommended judicial officers Shalinder Kaur and Ravinder Dudeja for appointment as judges of the Delhi high court while refusing to endorse a judicial officer senior to them.

The collegium said the Chief Justice of the Delhi high court, in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues, had on May 30 recommended the elevation of the judicial officers as judges of that high court.

Noting that there is a need to ensure greater representation to women on the Bench to promote diversity and inclusion, the collegium said it is conscious of the fact that Kaur recently retired from the Delhi Higher Judicial Service on September 30, 2023.

"Despite this, having regard to the fact that the officer has a proven track record and possesses both merit and integrity, the Collegium is of the considered view that she is suitable for appointment as a judge of the high court of Delhi," it said.

The age of retirement for a Delhi Higher Judicial Service officer is 60 years, while for a high court judge it is 62.

With regard to Dudeja, the collegium said the Judgment Evaluation Committee has given 'A' rating to the judgments penned by the officer.

"The assessment made by the Government in the file does not contain any observation adverse to the integrity or reputation of the officer. Considering the long experience of the officer in judicial service, merit and integrity, the Collegium is of the considered view that the officer is suitable for appointment as a judge of the high court of Delhi.

"While considering the above proposals, we have also taken note of the fact that the above proposal involves non-recommendation of a senior judicial officer. Cogent reasons have been recorded by the Collegium of the high court for not recommending his name. We are, therefore, in agreement with the Collegium of the high court for not recommending his name," it said.

In another decision, the collegium recommended the names of five judicial officers for appointment as judges of the Kerala High Court. They are-M B Snehalatha, Johnson John, G Girish, C Pratheepkumar, and P Krishna Kumar.

It also recommended three judicial officers -- Abhay Jainarayanji Mantri, Shyam Chhaganlal Chandak, and Neeraj Pradeep Dhote-- for elevation as judges of the Bombay High Court.

Besides these, the apex court collegium endorsed judicial officer Vimal Kanaiyalal Vyas for appointment as a judge of the Gujarat High Court, and elevation of judicial officers Biswajit Palit and Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha as judges of the Tripura high court.

It recommended the appointment of advocate Ravindra Kumar Agrawal as judge of the Chhattisgarh high court while overriding the objections raised by the Centre to his appointment.

"The Collegium has duly considered the inputs placed by the Government of India on the file. The Government has flagged certain complaints pertaining to the candidate which are placed in the file. Nothing specific bearing on the integrity or the reputation of the officer has emerged on the file. Having due regard to the opinion of the consultee-judge, the collegium is of the considered view that Shri Ravindra Kumar Agrawal is suitable for appointment as a judge of the high court," it said.

In another decision, the collegium recommended the names of four advocates -- Harinath Nunepally, Kiranmayee Mandava, Sumathi Jagadam, and Nyapathy Vijay, as judges of the Andhra Pradesh high court.