The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of new judges for seven High Courts in India. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and two other senior judges made these recommendations during a collegium meeting. The names were recommended for the High Courts of Bombay, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, and Kerala.
If approved by the Centre, the High Court of Gujarat will have a woman Chief Justice for the first time, as Justice Sunita Agarwal has been proposed for this role. Currently, there are no women serving as Chief Justices of any High Court.
The Collegium also recommended Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay. For the High Courts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, and Kerala, the Collegium recommended the appointment of Justice Alok Aradhe, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, Justice Siddharth Mridul, Justice Subhasis Talapatra, and Justice Ashish J Desai, respectively.
The Collegium believes that these judges are suitable and qualified to serve as Chief Justices of their respective High Courts. The appointment of these judges would help ensure adequate representation and bring a diverse range of perspectives to the judiciary.
Justice Sunita Agarwal has been functioning as a Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad since 2011 and is now the senior-most puisne Judge in her parent High Court. Justice Siddharth Mridul has been serving as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi since 2008 and is the seniormost puisne Judge in his parent High Court. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya has also been functioning as a Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad since 2011 and has extensive experience in the largest High Court in the country.
The appointment of these judges would bring more diversity and representation to the judicial system and would help ensure justice is delivered effectively. The recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium are an important step towards strengthening the judiciary and maintaining public confidence in the legal system.
