The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, recently recommended that judicial officer Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal be appointed as a Chhattisgarh High Court judge.
The resolution stated that the recommendation was made by the High Court collegium in September 2022.
It was stated that if the Governor’s remarks were not received within six weeks of receiving the proposal, it would be assumed that they had nothing to offer.
“The proposal has been processed by invoking Para 14 of the Memorandum of Procedure which provides that if the comments of the Governor as advised by the Chief Minister are not received within six weeks from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court, it shall be presumed by the Union Minister of Law and Justice that the constitutional authorities in the State have nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly,” the resolution stated.
It also stated that the suggestion was made based on the material brought on record due to the lack of a Supreme Court judge familiar with the activities of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
It was further noted that the judicial officer has a positive personal and professional image, according to the Intelligence Bureau. The collegium also considered his age and membership in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
“Having regard to these aspects, the Collegium is of the considered opinion that Shri Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal is suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh.”
The High Court of Chhattisgarh is functioning at a strength of 14 judges as opposed to the sanctioned strength of 22 with an 8-judge vacancy.
