Supreme Court Collegium recommended two judges for elevation including one from Manipur

The Supreme Court collegium recommends two judges for elevation, including Justice N Kotiswar Singh from Manipur, potentially marking the first Supreme Court judge from the state. The move aims to increase diversity in India's highest court.

The country’s apex court may soon have a judge from Manipur after seven and half decades of India’s independence. The Supreme Court collegium led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud recommends two High Court judges for elevation to the SC.

Justice N Kotiswar Singh has been recommended for appointment to Supreme Court who is the present Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. In the event of the recommendation being implemented, Justice Singh will be the first judge from Manipur to serve at the apex court and the first from the North-East region.

The collegium in its resolution also noted that Justice Singh had a ‘clean record’ in as much as judicial performance and administrative posting is concerned. His appointment is seen as the step to actually have the Supreme Court bench diverse.

The collegium has also recommended the acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court namely R Mahadevan for elevation. Justice Mahadevan from the backward class in Tamil Nadu was appointed to the Supreme Court as part of the process of having a diverse bench.

All these recommendations have been made at a time when the apex court is working with 32 judges, which is two less than the authorized position of 34. The appointments are especially timely now as Justice Hima Kohli is set to retire in September this year, the earliest vacancy available.

Apart from these Supreme Court nominations, the collegium has shortlisted candidates for new chief justices in eight High Courts: Delhi, Madras, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. These recommendations are expected to be released officially soon and they include;

The selection of judges to the apex court and the high courts is vested in Supreme Court collegium, which consists of the Chief Justice of India and four other senior most judges. These recommendations are a constant process of representation and for the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary of India.

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Though the legal fraternity is yet to wait for these appointments to be formalized, the potential elevation of Justice Singh is the first in Manipur and the entire North-East region of the country as far as representation in the higher judiciary is concerned.