Collegium suggests names of J&K HC Chief Justice, Madras HC Acting CJ for SC

Justice Singh, if appointed, will mark the first representation from the Manipur High Court in the Supreme Court.

The apex court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the CJI, has 32 judges at present. File photo

THE SUPREME Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Thursday recommended Justice N Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, and Justice R Mahadevan, Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court, for appointment as judges to the apex court.

Justice Singh, if appointed, will mark the first representation from the Manipur High Court in the Supreme Court.

“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. The Collegium 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,” the resolution stated.

Apart from CJI Chandrachud, the Collegium comprises Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy.

Justice Singh, whose parent High Court is the Manipur HC, was initially appointed a judge of the Gauhati High Court in 2011. In 2013, he was transferred to the Manipur HC when the court was established. In February 2023, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the J&K HC, and he is due to retire on February 28, 2025. If appointed to the SC, he will have an additional three years to his tenure.

Justice R Mahadevan was appointed a judge of the Madras HC in 2013. He has a tenure up to June 2025 as a HC judge and an additional three years if appointed to the SC. While he is currently the third senior-most judge of the Madras HC, the Collegium resolution noted that he has been “given precedence “over the other two senior judges “in order to give representation to the backward community”. Meghalaya HC Chief Justice S Vaidyanathan, who is due to retire in August, and Calcutta HC Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, who is due to retire September next, are the two judges senior to Justice Mahadevan.

7 new Chief Justices

In a separate resolution, the three-member Collegium comprising the CJI, Justices Khanna and Gavai also appointed Chief Justices to seven high courts.

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Justice Manmohan, acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, is recommended for appointment as the Chief Justice of Delhi HC. While it is unusual for judges to be appointed as CJ to their parent HC, the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the rule book for Collegium, allows such appointments in the last year of the judge’s tenure. Justice Manmohan is due to retire in December.

Justice M S Ramachandra Rao, CJ of Himachal Pradesh HC, is recommended as CJ of Jharkhand HC.

Justice Rajiv Shakdar, judge of the Delhi HC, is recommended for appointment as CJ of Himachal HC.

Justice Suresh Kait, judge of Delhi HC, is recommended as CJ as Jammu and Kashmir HC.

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As CJs of Madras HC and Kerala HC, the Collegium has recommended Bombay HC judges K R Shriram and Nitin Jamdar respectively.

Justice G S Sandhawalia, judge of the Punjab and Haryana HC, is recommended as CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC.

Justice Tashi Rabstan, judge of the J&K HC, is recommended for appointment to the Meghalaya HC.

Apurva Vishwanath

Apurva Vishwanath is the National Legal Editor at The Indian Express, where she leads the organization’s coverage of the Indian judiciary, constitutional law, and public policy. A law graduate with a B.A., LL.B (Hons) from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Apurva brings over a decade of specialized experience to her reporting. She is an authority on judicial appointments and the Supreme Court Collegium, providing critical analysis of the country’s legal landscape. Before joining The Indian Express in 2019, she honed her expertise at The Print and Mint. Follow her insights on the intersection of law and governance on Twitter ... Read More

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