Two new judges appointed to the Supreme Court

The Centre cleared appointment of Justices Singh from Manipur and Mahadevan from Madras HC as SC judges.

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday cleared the appointment of Justice N Kotiswar, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, and Justice R Mahadevan, acting chief justice of the Madras High Court, as the Supreme Court judges.

In a post on X, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, has appointed the two judges Justice Singh and Justices Mahadevan as Supreme Court Judges.

It is for the first time that a judge from Manipur would be appointed to the Supreme Court.

Justice Singh, who hailed from Manipur, is at present the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. 

Justice Mahadevan belonged to the Madras High Court. 

The Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and four other senior most judges recommended the two names on July 11 to the vacancies created due to retirement of SC judges Justice Aniruddha Bose on April 10, 2024 and Justice A S Bopanna on May 19, 2024. 

The Collegium also comprised four senior most judges namely Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy.

In its statement, the Collegium said appointment of Singh as a judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East.

"In particular, he will be the first judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," it said.

The Collegium has noted Singh has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work rendered by him on the administrative side, as the Chief Justice of the High Court  for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. 

"Considering the candidature of Justice Singh in terms of his judicial performance, administrative acumen, integrity and merit, the Collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court," it said.

With regard to Justice Mahadevan, the Collegium noted he belonged to a backward community from Tamil Nadu. "His appointment will bring diversity to the bench," it said.

The Collegium also pointed out Justice Mahadevan ranked third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras High Court including the judges who have been posted as Chief Justices outside the Madras High Court. 

"At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Justice Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community," it stressed.