The Supreme Court Collegium on October 10 recommended the appointment of five judicial officers as judges of the Kerala High Court..As per a resolution published on the Supreme Court's website, the following judicial officers have been recommended for elevation:MB Snehalatha;Johnson John;G Girish;C Pratheepkumar; andP Krishna Kumar..The Chief Justice and two senior-most judges of the Kerala High Court recommended these names to the Supreme Court Collegium. The Kerala Chief Minister as well as its Governor also concurred with the proposal..To ascertain the suitability of these five officers, the Supreme Court Collegium also consulted with fellow judges conversant with the affairs of the Kerala High Court and evaluated material placed on record, including the observations made by the Union Department of Justice..The following are the reasons for recommending the elevation of the officers, as stated in the collegium resolution..MB Snehalatha The Central government's assessment found that she has a good professional and personal image, but that she had faced criticism for two orders granting bail. However, the Supreme Court Collegium opined that this should not come in the way of her recommendation for elevation. The Collegium also noted that she belonged to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and would have a short tenure (since she is over 59 years old) before concluding that she ought to be appointed a High Court judge. .Johnson JohnThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering his track record and the fact that he belongs to a minority community, the Collegium deemed it fit to recommend his elevation..G GirishThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering the track record of the officer, the Collegium opined that he is suitable for appointment as a judge of the High Court..C PratheepkumarThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering his track record and the fact that he belongs to an OBC community, the Collegium deemed it fit to recommend his elevation..P Krishna KumarThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. It was noted that he had completed his 10 years of qualifying service only recently. However, the Collegium pointed out that since he was a direct recruit to the Higher Judicial Service, he would also have experience as an advocate prior to his appointment as a judicial officer. The Collegium, therefore, recommended his appointment as a judge of the High Court..The Collegium resolution also disclosed that certain senior judicial officers have not been recommended for elevation. However, it further opined that the High Court Collegium had given cogent reasons for not recommending their names.On a related note, in March this year, the members of the High Court Collegium disagreed on recommendations and sent in two separate lists of judicial officers who were recommended for elevation to the High Court. Three officers who found mention in either one of these lists have not been recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. .As of October 11, the Kerala High Court is functioning with 33 judges as against a sanctioned strength of 42..[Read Collegium Resolution]
The Supreme Court Collegium on October 10 recommended the appointment of five judicial officers as judges of the Kerala High Court..As per a resolution published on the Supreme Court's website, the following judicial officers have been recommended for elevation:MB Snehalatha;Johnson John;G Girish;C Pratheepkumar; andP Krishna Kumar..The Chief Justice and two senior-most judges of the Kerala High Court recommended these names to the Supreme Court Collegium. The Kerala Chief Minister as well as its Governor also concurred with the proposal..To ascertain the suitability of these five officers, the Supreme Court Collegium also consulted with fellow judges conversant with the affairs of the Kerala High Court and evaluated material placed on record, including the observations made by the Union Department of Justice..The following are the reasons for recommending the elevation of the officers, as stated in the collegium resolution..MB Snehalatha The Central government's assessment found that she has a good professional and personal image, but that she had faced criticism for two orders granting bail. However, the Supreme Court Collegium opined that this should not come in the way of her recommendation for elevation. The Collegium also noted that she belonged to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and would have a short tenure (since she is over 59 years old) before concluding that she ought to be appointed a High Court judge. .Johnson JohnThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering his track record and the fact that he belongs to a minority community, the Collegium deemed it fit to recommend his elevation..G GirishThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering the track record of the officer, the Collegium opined that he is suitable for appointment as a judge of the High Court..C PratheepkumarThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. Considering his track record and the fact that he belongs to an OBC community, the Collegium deemed it fit to recommend his elevation..P Krishna KumarThere were no adverse remarks in the Central government's file on him. It was noted that he had completed his 10 years of qualifying service only recently. However, the Collegium pointed out that since he was a direct recruit to the Higher Judicial Service, he would also have experience as an advocate prior to his appointment as a judicial officer. The Collegium, therefore, recommended his appointment as a judge of the High Court..The Collegium resolution also disclosed that certain senior judicial officers have not been recommended for elevation. However, it further opined that the High Court Collegium had given cogent reasons for not recommending their names.On a related note, in March this year, the members of the High Court Collegium disagreed on recommendations and sent in two separate lists of judicial officers who were recommended for elevation to the High Court. Three officers who found mention in either one of these lists have not been recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. .As of October 11, the Kerala High Court is functioning with 33 judges as against a sanctioned strength of 42..[Read Collegium Resolution]
