2 Nov 2023 3:19 PM GMT
The Supreme Court collegium has recommended names to the Union Government for the appointment as Chief Justices of three High Courts.
They are :
Justice Ritu Bahri as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court
Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court and
Justice S Vaidyanathan as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.'
The resolutions, signed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, reveal that the factors that weighed with the collegium while making its selection were the seniority of puisne judges within their parent high courts, “subject to merit and integrity”. Besides this, another crucial factor in making this determination was the need to ensure fair representation to high courts across the country. Accordingly, while recommending Justice Vaidyanathan’s name, the collegium has taken into consideration that the Madras High Court, despite being one of the largest high courts in the country, is presently represented by only one chief justice across high courts.
Similarly, while recommending Justice Singh for chief justiceship, the collegium notes, “At present the High Court of Judicature at Patna has no representation among the chief justices of high courts.”
Lastly, if the proposal to recommend Justice Bahri is cleared, she will become the second woman chief justice presently heading a high court in the country, after Justice Sunita Agarwal of the Gujrat High Court. The resolution recommending her name reads:
“The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has jurisdiction over two large states and at present there is only one chief justice to represent the High Court of Punjab and Haryana from among the chief justices of high courts. Besides, at present there is only one woman chief justice and her elevation would enhance representation of women among the chief justices of high courts.”
Resolution regarding appointment of Uttarakhand HC CJ