The Supreme Court Collegium, chaired by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, has made several recommendations for judicial appointments to High Courts across the country. This decision was taken at a meeting held on December 22, 2024.
Rajasthan High Court
The Collegium has proposed the appointment of three judicial officers—Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Pramil Kumar Mathur, and Chandra Prakash Shrimali—as judges of the Rajasthan High Court. The court currently has 32 judges, though it is authorized to have 50. These new appointments aim to fill the existing vacancies and improve the court’s functioning.
Uttarakhand High Court
The Collegium also recommended Ashish Naithani, a judicial officer, for the position of judge at the Uttarakhand High Court. The High Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 11 judges, is currently functioning with only six, highlighting the need for additional judicial support.
Bombay High Court
Advocate Pravin Sheshrao Patil has been proposed for appointment as a judge of the Bombay High Court, which currently has 67 judges, falling short of its sanctioned strength of 94. The Collegium approved this proposal, aiming to strengthen the court’s capacity to handle the growing number of cases.
Allahabad High Court
In another recommendation, the Collegium has suggested the elevation of advocate Praveen Kumar Giri as a judge of the Allahabad High Court. The court is functioning with only 81 judges, well below its sanctioned strength of 160, underlining the necessity for more judicial appointments.
Appointment of New Chief Justices
In a separate development, the Central Government recently notified the appointment of new Chief Justices for the High Courts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Justice G. Narendar, a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court. This appointment is set to take effect upon the retirement of the current Chief Justice.
Justice Narendar has been serving as a judge at the Andhra Pradesh High Court since October 30, 2023. Prior to this, he was appointed as a judge at the Karnataka High Court in 2015. He is the senior-most judge in his parent High Court and belongs to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. Before his judicial career, Justice Narendar was a practicing lawyer at the Karnataka High Court.
Additionally, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia has been named as the new Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
These appointments and recommendations are crucial steps toward addressing the backlog and vacancies in the High Courts, ensuring that the judiciary can function effectively and deliver timely justice to the public.
