The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has recommended the appointment of the chief justices of the high courts of Patna, Himachal Pradesh, Gauhati and Tripura.
The three-member collegium has recommended the name of Justice K Vinod Chandran of the Kerala High Court for appointment as the chief justice of the Patna High Court and Justice Sabina as the chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
The collegium, also having Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, met on February 7 and recommended the name of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh for appointment as the chief justice of the Tripura High Court.
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It recommended the appointment of Justice Sandeep Mehta as the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court.
The collegium resolutions uploaded on the apex court website said that the office of the chief justice of the Patna High Court has fallen vacant recently, consequent upon elevation of Justice Sanjay Karol as a judge of the top court.
The collegium said Justice Chandran, who is the senior-most judge of the Kerala High Court, was appointed as a judge on November 8, 2011 and is due to retire on April 24, 2025.
"The collegium has previously resolved to appoint Justice K Vinod Chandran as chief justice of the Gauhati High Court. Since the date of that recommendation, the position of chief justices in a number of other high courts has fallen vacant, consequent of retirement and elevation of the incumbent chief justices as judges of the Supreme Court," it said.
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"Having regard to the above circumstances, the collegium resolves to recall its earlier recommendation for appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran as chief justice of the Gauhati High Court and resolves to recommend that he be appointed as chief justice of the High Court of Judicature at Patna, as he is fit and suitable for the same," said the resolution.
Justice Sabina, whose parent high court is Punjab and Haryana, is currently the acting chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
The collegium noted that the office of the chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court has fallen vacant recently, consequent upon the retirement of Justice AA Sayed and therefore, appointment to that office is required to be made.
Justice Sabina was appointed as judge on March 12, 2008 and is due to retire on April 19 this year.
The collegium noted that by its separate resolution, it has proposed the appointment of Justice Jaswant Singh, senior most puisne judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as the chief justice of the Tripura High Court.
It said Justice Singh is due to retire on February 22, 2023.
The collegium further said it had already recommended Justice Rajesh Bindal, the first in order of seniority among the judges from the Punjab and Haryana High Court (presently Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad), for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court.
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"In this backdrop, having regard to the seniority of Justice Sabina, the collegium resolves to recommend that she be appointed as chief justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh as she is fit and suitable in all respects for the same," it said.
The resolution for appointment of the chief justice of the Tripura High Court said, "The collegium, therefore, resolves to recommend that upon the retirement of Justice Jaswant Singh, Justice Apresh Kumar Singh be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court."
It noted that office of the chief justice of the Tripura High Court has been lying vacant for some time, consequent upon retirement of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and therefore, appointment to that office is required to be made.
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The collegium said that by its resolution dated January 25, 2023, the collegium has recommended the appointment of Justice Jaswant Singh, presently the senior most judge in the Orissa High Court, as chief justice of the Tripura High Court.
The resolution said the collegium has already recommended the transfer of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh from the Jharkhand High Court to the Tripura High Court.
It noted that the state of Jharkhand is unrepresented among the chief justices of high courts.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was appointed as a judge on January 24, 2012 and is set to retire on July 6, 2027.
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For the Gauhati High Court, the collegium said the office of its chief justice has fallen vacant recently, consequent upon retirement of Justice R M Chhaya.
The collegium said Justice Mehta, a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, was appointed on May 30, 2011 and is due to retire on January 10, 2025.
"The Rajasthan High Court is unrepresented among the chief justices of the high courts. The collegium has previously resolved to appoint Justice K Vinod Chandran as chief justice of the Gauhati High Court. The collegium vide a separate resolution, has recommended appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran as chief justice of the High Court of Judicature at Patna," it said.
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"Considering the above position, the collegium resolves to recommend the appointment of Justice Sandeep Mehta as chief justice of the Gauhati High Court as he is fit and suitable for the same," it said.
-With PTI Input
