SC Collegium Recommends Appointment of 3 Judicial Officers as Judges and 5 Additional Judges As Permanent Judges In Madras High Court

Judicial Officer R Poornima, Shri M Jothiraman and Dr (Smt) Augustine Devadoss Maria Clete were recommended for appointment as Judges of the Madras High Court.

“On 23 April 2024, the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues recommended the elevation of the above-named Judicial Officers.”, the Collegium informed.

Ms R Poornima and Shri M Jothiraman joined the Judicial Service as District Judge in February 2011. The Collegium took note of the inputs provided by the Department of Justice and noted that the candidates enjoy a good personal and professional image and that nothing adverse has come to notice against their integrity.

Dr (Smt) Augustine Devadoss Maria Clete joined the Judicial Service as a Civil Judge (Junior Division) in 1995 and was promoted to District Judge in 2013. “Her elevation would enhance the representation of minorities on the Bench of the Madras High Court.”, the Collegium said.

Additional Judges Justice Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, Shri Justice Pillaipakkam Bahukutumbi Balaji, Justice Kandhasami Kulandaivelu Ramakrishnan, Justice Ramachandran Kalaimathi, and Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi of the Madras High Court were recommended for appointment as permanent Judges of that High Court.

Justice Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri was the first woman to be appointed to the post of Deputy Solicitor General of India in the Madras High Court.

Justice P.B. Balaji is a regular resource person at the Tamil Nadu Judicial Academy, which regularly trains newly appointed/recruited judges and gives lectures on subjects touching Rent Law and CPC.

Justice Kalimathi was appointed as Additional Judge, High Court of Madras on February 07, 2023.

“On April 29 2024, the Collegium of the Madras High Court unanimously recommended the names of the above Additional Judges for appointment as permanent Judges of that High Court. The Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of Tamil Nadu have concurred with the above recommendation.”, reads the resolution.

“Our sole consultee-colleague is of the opinion that all the five Additional Judges are eminently suitable for being appointed as permanent ones.”, the Collegium said.

The Collegium informed that a Committee of two Judges of the Supreme Court constituted by the Chief Justice of India in terms of the Resolution dated October 26, 2017 of the Supreme Court Collegium has assessed the judgments of the above-named Additional Judges.

The Collegium resolved to recommend the judicial Officers and Additional Judges to be appointed as Judges and permanent Judges respectively of the Madras High Court.