The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has recommended the name of 2 judges to the Supreme Court. 

(i) Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh, and
(ii) Mr Justice R Mahadevan.

The recommendation says as under:-

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Re: Filling up vacancies of judges in the Supreme Court.

There are two vacancies in the Supreme Court: the first occasioned by the retirement of Justice Aniruddha Bose on 10 April 2024 and the second by the retirement of Justice A S Bopanna on 19 May 2024.

The Collegium has considered the names of the Chief Justices of the High Courts and of senior Judges in the High Courts within the zone of consideration. In arriving at its recommendations, the Collegium has had due regard to:

a. The seniority of the Judges under consideration;
b. Merit as demonstrated by the judgments authored by the Judges and performance;
c. Integrity;
d. The need to ensure diversity in terms of region, gender and community; and
e. The need for inclusion of the marginalized and backward segments of the community.

The Collegium is conversant with the judgments of all the Judges whose names have been discussed during the course of the meeting. After discussing the names of the Chief Justices and the senior Judges of the High Courts, the Collegium has decided to recommend the following Judges for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court:

(i) Mr Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh

Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh originally hails from Manipur. He was appointed as a Judge of the Gauhati High Court on 17 October 2011. On the formation of the High Court of Manipur, he was transferred as a Judge of that High Court from the Gauhati High Court. On 15 February 2023, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He is due to retire on 28 February 2025.

His appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first Judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work which has been 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

Mr Justice N Kotiswar 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.

(ii) Mr Justice R Mahadevan

Mr Justice R Mahadevan is a Judge of the Madras High Court and is presently the Acting Chief Justice. Being conversant with the work of Justice Mahadevan on the judicial side and as a senior Judge of the High Court, the Collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Mr Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from the State of Tamil Nadu. His appointment will bring diversity to the
Bench.

The Collegium has taken due note of the fact that Mr Justice R Mahadevan ranks 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 Mr Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community.

For the above reasons, the Collegium is of the view that he is suitable and fit for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court. In view of the foregoing, the Collegium resolves to recommend that the appointment of the above persons be made in the following
order of seniority:

(i) Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh, and
(ii) Mr Justice R Mahadevan.

(Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud), CJI
(Sanjiv Khanna), J
(B R Gavai), J
(Surya Kant), J
(Hrishikesh Roy), J
11 July 2024

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