ADVERTISEMENT

Collegium Reiterates Elevation Of Justice KM Joseph To Supreme Court

The collegium recommends names of Justices Vineet Sharan and Indira Banerjee for elevation to Supreme Court.

Lawyers inside the Supreme Court complex in New Delhi, India. (Source: Supreme Court of India Website)
Lawyers inside the Supreme Court complex in New Delhi, India. (Source: Supreme Court of India Website)

The five-member collegium of the Supreme Court of India recommended again the name of KM Joseph, Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court, to be elevated as a judge of the apex court.

The collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice AK Sikri, also recommended the names of Justice Vineet Sharan and Justice Indira Banerjee for elevation to the top court.

Justice Sharan is currently serving as Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, while Justice Banerjee is the Chief Justice of Madras High Court.

Opinion
Why Modi Government’s Bid To Amend RTI Act Faces Opposition

The collegium had on Jan. 10 recommended the name of Justice Joseph for elevation to the Supreme Court. The government in its letters dated April 26 and April 30 returned it seeking reconsideration, saying the proposal wasn’t in accordance with the top court’s parameters. It also questioned his seniority for elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Justice Joseph had struck down the President’s rule in Uttarakhand in 2016, bringing back the Harish Rawat-led Congress government. But Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had denied the order had any bearing on the government’s decision asking the top court to reconsider his name.

The collegium in May agreed in-principle to reiterate its recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph, saying “nothing adverse regarding his suitability has been pointed out in the aforesaid letters”.

Opinion
No Clarity on Why Collegium Deferred Decision on Justice KM Joseph