Supreme Court Collegium Proposes New High Court Judges

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of several judges to High Courts across India. Key suggestions include judicial officers and advocates for Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bombay, and Allahabad High Courts. New Chief Justices have also been appointed for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand High Courts.

The Supreme Court Collegium has put forward proposals for appointing judges to various High Courts in a strategic move meant to fill existing judicial vacancies. The proposals were cemented on December 22, during a Collegium meeting led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.

In its resolution, the Collegium recommended the appointments of judicial officers Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Pramil Kumar Mathur, and Chandra Prakash Shrimali as judges of the Rajasthan High Court. With a sanctioned strength of 50 judges, the Rajasthan High Court currently operates with only 32 judges.

Similarly, Ashish Naithani has been suggested as a judge for the Uttarakhand High Court, which is functioning with 6 out of 11 sanctioned posts. Additionally, advocate Pravin Sheshrao Patil may join the Bombay High Court's bench, where currently 67 judges serve against a sanctioned strength of 94. The Collegium also recommended advocate Praveen Kumar Giri for the Allahabad High Court, which has 81 judges against a sanctioned strength of 160.

Earlier in the week, the government announced the appointments of new Chief Justices for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand's High Courts, marking a significant reshuffling of top legal positions. Justice G Narendar, a current judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, is designated as the new Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, effective upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice. Justice Narendar, a senior judge who was transferred from Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh, belongs to the Other Backward Class and had formerly practiced law at the Karnataka High Court. These developments form part of a broader effort to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the Indian judiciary. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)