Supreme Court names 4 lawyers for high court judges, overruling Centre’s decision.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the appointment of four advocates as judges of Bombay, Madras, and Karnataka high courts, despite objections from the Union department of justice. The collegium’s decision was based on the need to increase the representation of women, marginalized communities, and tax experts in constitutional courts. The proposed appointments include Manjusha Ajay Deshpande for Bombay HC, N Senthilkumar and G Arul Murugan for Madras HC, and KV Aravind for Karnataka HC.

The recommendation for Deshpande’s appointment was initiated by the Bombay HC collegium in September last year. The SC collegium considered inputs from the department of justice and consultee judges before stating that Deshpande is a competent lawyer with over 32 years of practice. The collegium also highlighted her expertise in constitutional and service matters, stating that her elevation would add to the representation of women on the bench of Bombay HC.

The recommendation for Aravind’s appointment was initiated by the Karnataka HC collegium in August last year. The SC collegium, after scrutinizing the material and considering the observations of the department of justice, found nothing adverse to his integrity or character. The collegium also emphasized the need for specialized judges with domain experience in tax law, as there is a considerable amount of tax litigation before the Karnataka high court.

The SC collegium also approved the HC proposal for the appointment of advocates Senthilkumar and Murugan, belonging to the SC and OBC communities respectively. These appointments aim to provide greater representation to marginalized communities in the higher judiciary.

In summary, the Supreme Court collegium has recommended the appointment of four advocates as judges of Bombay, Madras, and Karnataka high courts. The collegium overruled objections from the department of justice, citing the need for increased representation of women, marginalized communities, and tax experts. The recommended appointments include Manjusha Ajay Deshpande, N Senthilkumar, G Arul Murugan, and KV Aravind.