The appointment of Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court SV Gangapurwala as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court has been recently cleared by the Central government.
Therefore, the Union Ministry of Law & Justice issued a notification in this regard.
That statement indicates that the President of India has used the authority granted under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India to appoint Justice Sanjay Vijaylcumar Gangapurwala as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Justice Gangapurwala, who was previously serving as a judge in the Bombay High Court, will assume the position of Chief Justice of the Madras High Court from the date he assumes office.
That statement indicates that an appointment was made based on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium, which is responsible for selecting candidates for judicial appointments in India. The Collegium consists of the Chief Justice of India and a group of senior judges. In this particular case, the Collegium comprised Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, and Justice KM Joseph. They held a meeting on April 19, 2023, and made a recommendation for the appointment. The specific details of the appointment, such as the position or person being appointed, are not mentioned in the statement.
Justice Gangapurwala was born in 1962 and he began his practice as a lawyer in 1985 with the chambers of Advocate SN Loya.
He was elevated as a judge of the Bombay High Court on March 13, 2010, and served as its Acting Chief Justice from December 11, 2022.
Currently, the Madras High Court is functioning with 61 judges.
At present, Justice S Vaidyanathan is serving as Acting Chief Justice, that have taken over after the retirement of Acting Chief Justice T Raja on May 25.
