Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Chief Justices For Seven High Courts

Delhi High Court: Justice Manmohan, who is currently the Acting Chief Justice and ranks at Sl No 3 in seniority among High Court Judges, has been recommended for appointment as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. His appointment is in accordance with the Memorandum of Procedure.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “Bearing in mind the Memorandum of Procedure, Mr Justice Manmohan can be appointed as the Chief Justice of his parent High Court, at this stage. The Collegium, therefore, recommends that Mr Justice Manmohan be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi.”

Himachal Pradesh High Court: Following the transfer of the current Chief Justice to Jharkhand, Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who ranks at Sl No 4 in seniority among High Court Judges and is one of the seniormost Judges in the country, has been recommended for appointment as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “The Collegium, therefore, recommends that Mr Justice Rajiv Shakdher be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh in the vacancy caused by the transfer of Mr Justice M S Ramachandra Rao to the High Court of Jharkhand, consequent upon the retirement of Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi.”

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court: With the current Chief Justice recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, who ranks at Sl No 5 and belongs to the Scheduled Caste category, has been recommended as the next Chief Justice.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “Bearing in mind the position of Mr Justice Suresh Kumar Kait in the All India Seniority list, the Collegium is of the view that he should be recommended for appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.”

Madhya Pradesh High Court: Justice G S Sandhawalia, the seniormost puisne Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been recommended for appointment as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh, considering the size and importance of the High Court.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “The High Court for the States of Punjab and Haryana is one of the largest High Courts in the country. Hence, it would be appropriate to appoint the seniormost puisne Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a Chief Justice. The Collegium accordingly recommends that Mr Justice G S Sandhawalia be appointed as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.”

Kerala High Court: Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar, the seniormost puisne Judge of the Bombay High Court, has been recommended as Chief Justice of Kerala, following the retirement of the previous Chief Justice.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “Bearing in mind that Mr Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar is the seniormost puisne Judge of the High Court of Bombay with experience on the judicial and administrative side, the Collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala.”

Meghalaya High Court: Justice Tashi Rabstan, the seniormost puisne Judge of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, has been recommended as Chief Justice of Meghalaya. His appointment would provide representation to the region of Ladakh, which has had no Chief Justice representation before.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “Bearing in mind that Mr Justice Tashi Rabstan would be the first Chief Justice from the region of Ladakh which has otherwise little or no representation among the Judges of the High Court and no representation at all so far in the office of Chief Justice, the Collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalya on the retirement of Mr Justice S Vaidyanathan, Chief Justice of that High Court, who is due to retire on 16 August 2024.”

Madras High Court: Justice K R Shriram, the second seniormost puisne Judge of the Bombay High Court, has been recommended as Chief Justice of Madras, following the retirement of the previous Chief Justice.

The notification dated July 11, 2024 read, “Bearing in mind that Mr Justice K R Shriram is a senior Judge of the High Court of Bombay with experience on the judicial and administrative side, the Collegium recommends his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras.”