Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of Judicial Appointments in Himachal Pradesh

The Supreme Court has directed the Himachal Pradesh High Court collegium to reconsider elevating two senior-most district and sessions judges, Chirag Bhanu Singh and Arvind Malhotra, to high court judges. The decision follows a plea that their merit and seniority were overlooked by the high court collegium.

The Supreme Court on Friday mandated the Himachal Pradesh High Court collegium to re-evaluate the elevation of Chirag Bhanu Singh and Arvind Malhotra, the two senior-most district and sessions judges, to the high court bench.

The apex court critiqued the chief justice of the high court for not collectively reconsidering the appointments, emphasizing that such decisions must come from the high court collegium as a whole.

A bench comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra underscored this in response to a petition by the two judges, citing a lack of collective consultation in their non-selection process. The Supreme Court referenced its own collegium's resolution from January 4, 2024, urging reconsideration.

(With inputs from agencies.)