Three High Courts Await New Chief Justices, Says Supreme Court Collegium

The Supreme Court collegium has put forth its recommendations to the Union Government for the appointment of Chief Justices for three High Courts. The proposed appointments are as follows:

Justice Ritu Bahri is recommended for the position of Chief Justice at the Uttarakhand High Court.
Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh is proposed as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.
Justice S Vaidyanathan is nominated as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.

These recommendations, signed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, highlight the significant factors that influenced the collegium’s choices. These factors include the seniority of puisne judges within their respective parent high courts, with a crucial emphasis on merit and integrity. Additionally, the collegium prioritized the need to ensure equitable representation of high courts across the country.

Regarding the recommendation of Justice Vaidyanathan, the collegium considered the fact that the Madras High Court, despite being one of the largest high courts in the country, is currently represented by only one Chief Justice among the various high courts.

Similarly, in the case of Justice Singh’s recommendation for chief justiceship, the collegium noted that there is currently no representation from the High Court of Judicature at Patna among the Chief Justices of high courts.

If the proposal to recommend Justice Bahri is accepted, she will become the second woman Chief Justice currently leading a high court in the country, following Justice Sunita Agarwal of the Gujarat High Court. The resolution recommending Justice Bahri’s name underscores the importance of her appointment in terms of representation. The High Court of Punjab and Haryana holds jurisdiction over two large states and currently has only one Chief Justice to represent it among the Chief Justices of high courts. Appointing Justice Bahri to this role would increase the presence of women in the positions of Chief Justices of high courts.