SC Collegium recommends elevation of four advocates as judges to 3 HCs

The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, on Tuesday recommended elevation of four advocates for appointment as judges of the high courts of Bombay, Karnataka, and Madras.

Of the four candidates, one belonged to the Scheduled Caste and another to the OBC category.

In a statement, the Collegium, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, approved the names of the advocates N Senthilkumar and G Arul Murugan for appointment as judges in the Madras High Court.

It noted the recommendation for appointment of the two advocates was made by the Collegium on August 2, 2022. The Chief Minister and the Governor of Tamil Nadu concurred on the recommendations.

On Senthilkumar, the Collegium said: “We have considered the inputs provided by the government in the file in conjunction with the report of the present collegium of the high court and the opinion of the consultee-Judges in the Supreme Court who have opined that the candidate is suitable for elevation. The candidate has a standing of over twenty-eight years at the Bar”.

It also said the candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste and his appointment as a judge of the high court will enhance the representation on the bench to marginalised communities.

On Murugan, the Collegium said it has considered the inputs and found that the candidate is suitable for appointment as a judge of the high court. 

“The candidate belongs to the OBC category. His appointment as a judge will facilitate greater representation to the OBCs in appointment to the higher judiciary. Having regard to the above aspects, the Collegium is of the considered opinion that G Arul Murugan is suitable for the elevation to the Madras High Court,” the Collegium said.

In a separate resolution, the Collegium recommended the name of advocate Kurubarahalli Venkataramareddy Aravind for appointment as a judge in the High Court of Karnataka. 

The Collegium said the inputs in the file indicate that nothing adverse to the integrity or character of K V Aravind has been noticed.

“We have considered the opinion of the consultee-Judges. The candidate has a standing of nearly twenty-three years at the Bar. He has appeared before the High Court as Standing Counsel for various departments of the State government. He has appeared in cases resulting in 567 reported judgments. This, coupled with his average professional income is an indicator of his experience. There is a considerable amount of tax litigation before the Karnataka High Court,” the Collegium noted.

In another resolution, the Collegium recommended the name of advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande for appointment as a judge in the High Court of Bombay.

“We have considered the inputs provided by the Government in the file. These inputs have been evaluated by us in conjunction with the report of the then Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay (who has since assumed office as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court). Three consultee-judges of the Supreme Court have opined that Manjusha Ajay Deshpande is suitable for elevation. The Collegium of the High Court is well-positioned to ascertain her professional competence,” it said.

The Collegium also said, “In our assessment, the candidate is a competent lawyer. She has been in practice, since 1991, for over thirty-two years. The candidate is well versed in several branches of law particularly in constitutional and service matters. She has been on the panel of the government since 2013.”