The Supreme Court collegium is likely to meet at 1 pm on Friday to decide on the names of High Court judges for elevation to the top court, NDTV reported. The collegium had recommended KM Joseph and lawyer Indu Malhotra for elevation as Supreme Court judges in January. After sitting on the proposal for over three months, the law ministry notified Malhotra’s appointment on April 26, but refused to clear Joseph’s name, and asked the top court to reconsider its decision.
On May 2, the collegium of five most-senior judges of the Supreme Court had deferred a decision on reiterating its earlier recommendation to elevate Joseph to the top court. The collegium is also likely to discuss the names of High Court judges from Calcutta, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, The Hindu reported.
Joseph was part of a two-judge bench that had struck down the Centre’s decision to impose President’s rule in Uttarakhand in March 2016. Justice Jasti Chelameswar on Wednesday wrote to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra saying that the collegium must reiterate its recommendation to elevate Joseph to the top court at the earliest.
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