SC to hear tomorrow plea against recommendation to elevate advocate L Victoria Gowri as Madras HC judge

The CJI added, “I will constitute a bench. Let it go before the appropriate bench tomorrow morning”. The bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, then ordered to list the matter “before the appropriate bench on February 7, 2023”.

The matter was first mentioned before the court on Monday morning and the court had initially posted it for hearing on February 10. In the afternoon, the petitioners approached the court again saying the government had notified advocate Gowri’s appointment as Additional Judge of the Madras High Court.

Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for them, told the bench that the appointment was notified at 12.12 pm and that the court could intervene even at this stage. He said he was basing his argument on eligibility and not suitability and added that keeping away some vital information from the collegium had handicapped it.

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by CJI Chandrachud and comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, had on January 17 proposed Gowri’s name, along with that of four others, for elevation to the Madras High Court.

Later, a group of 21 lawyers of the high court wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and the Supreme Court Collegium asking to drop her name from the list.