The Supreme Court collegium, led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, recommended to the Centre the appointment of Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey as a permanent judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
Additional Judges
Additionally, the collegium proposed justices Sachin Singh Rajput and Radhakishan Agrawal as additional judges for the Chhattisgarh High Court.
In another resolution, the collegium, including justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai, suggested that Additional Judge Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal be appointed for another year as an additional judge.
Chhattisgarh HC Collegium
The High Court of Chhattisgarh collegium had previously recommended Justice Pandey’s appointment as a permanent judge and the extension of Justices Rajput and Agrawal’s terms on November 22, 2023. The views of the Chief Minister and Governor of Chhattisgarh were duly considered, as per the Memorandum of Procedure. A Supreme Court judge familiar with Chhattisgarh High Court affairs was consulted to assess the suitability of the additional judges.
A committee of two Supreme Court judges, in accordance with the resolution of October 26, 2017, evaluated the judgments of the additional judges. The collegium meticulously reviewed the provided material to assess the merit and suitability of the nominees.
After thorough consideration, the collegium deemed Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey fit for permanent appointment and recommended Justices Sachin Singh Rajput and Radhakishan Agrawal for fresh terms.
Regarding Justice Nargal’s extension, the collegium consulted Supreme Court judges familiar with the affairs of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The committee rated the quality of Justice Nargal’s judgments as ‘good’ and recommended his appointment as an additional judge for another year, effective from June 3, 2024.
