Ten new judges on Wednesday took oath as members of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, including 5 lawyers and 5 judicial officers.
Of these, 7 were appointed as permanent judges, while three took oath as additional judges for a two-year term.
Judges Appointed As Permanent & Additional Judges
The newly sworn-in permanent judges are Justices Pushpendra Yadav, Anand Singh Bahrawat, Ajay Kumar Nirankari, Jai Kumar Pillai, Himanshu Joshi, Ramkumar Choubey, and Rajesh Kumar Gupta. The additional judges are Justices Alok Awasthi, Ratnesh Chandra Singh Bisen, and Bhagwati Prasad Sharma.
Appointment Process & Recommendations
The appointments were officially notified by the Central Government on July 28, following recommendations by the Supreme Court Collegium made earlier this year—in January and July.
Welcome Remarks By Advocate General
Advocate General of Madhya Pradesh, Prashant Singh, addressed the gathering, expressing the legal community’s enthusiasm over the induction of a large batch of judges.
He specially lauded Justice Pushpendra Yadav, highlighting his extensive experience in various capacities such as panel counsel, government advocate, Additional Advocate General, and Deputy Solicitor General of India. AG Singh emphasized that Justice Yadav enjoys the respect of both the Bar and the Bench.
Controversy Surrounding Justice Gupta’s Appointment
Justice Rajesh Kumar Gupta’s elevation stirred controversy due to past allegations of sexual harassment made by a former judicial officer who resigned following his appointment. Justice Gupta dismissed these claims as unfounded, stating, “These all people always start all these things, there have been never any complaints against me. I have lived my entire life like a saint. It has been 35 years I have been working and there have been no complaints against me.”
He also mentioned that he had not received any official communication from the High Court regarding the allegations.
Current Strength
Prior to these appointments, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had 34 sitting judges out of a sanctioned strength of 53. With ten new judges joining, the working strength has risen to 44. Two judges are due to retire on August 9 and 13.
Additionally, judicial officer Pradeep Mittal has been approved as an additional judge for a two-year term, with his appointment set to commence from August 10.
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