SC Collegium Recommends Elevation of K’taka HC Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale to Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Justice Prasanna B Varale, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Taking into account his seniority as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and his status as the senior-most Scheduled Caste Judge among all High Court Judges, the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, recommended Justice Varale for the position. He holds the sixth position in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges and is the senior-most Judge in the High Court of Bombay.

The Collegium acknowledged that Justice Varale’s authored judgments cover a variety of legal issues, displaying competence, unimpeachable conduct, integrity, and consistently high professional ethics. Before being appointed as a Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2008, he practiced law for over 23 years, handling civil, criminal, labor, and administrative law matters at the District and Sessions Court and constitutional matters at the High Court Bench in Aurangabad. He assumed the position of Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court in October 2022.

The recommendation aims to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice SK Kaul. The other members of the Collegium include Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Aniruddha Bose. Additionally, the Supreme Court Collegium has proposed Justice PS Dinesh Kumar as the next Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court following Justice Varale’s elevation.