In A First, SC Collegium Recommends Five Names For High Court Chief Justices In Advance

The Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday (9 February) recommended five names for High Courts (HC), where vacancies are expected to arise soon, as their Chief Justices have been recommended for appointment to the Supreme Court.

The collegium recommended the names of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur(for Manipur HC), Justice Sonia G Gokani (for Gujarat HC), Justice Pritinker Diwaker (for Allahabad HC), Justice Ramesh Sinha (for Chhattisgarh HC), and Justice TS Sivangam (for Calcutta HC).

Notably, if Justice Gokani’s name is accepted by the centre, she would be the only woman heading a high court in the country. She would become the Chief Justice of Gujarat HC, where a vacancy has arisen due to Justice Aravind Kumar’s name being recommended as a Judge of the SC.

Similarly, pending the elevation of Justice Rajesh Bindal — Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court — to the SC, the name of Justice Pritinker Diwaker has been recommended.

Justice PV Sanjaykumar — Chief Justice Manipur HC — has also been elevated to the SC and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur has been recommended to replace him.

Due to the upcoming retirement of Kolkata High Court Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava, the name of Justice TS Sivangam has been recommended. Also, the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh HC Justice Arup Goswami is set to retire and the name of Justice Ramesh Sinha has been recommended by the collegium.

The recommendations come on the same day that the Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told the Parliament that the government has asked the Supreme Court collegium to reconsider 10 proposals reiterated by it for appointment in three cases.