The Supreme Court collegium on Friday unanimously agreed to reiterate its recommendation to elevate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph to the top court. The collegium said that it would also discuss the names of other High Court chief justices at its next meeting on May 16. Apart from Joseph, the names of High Court judges from Calcutta, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are also being considered, The Hindu reported.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph are the members of the collegium that had recommended 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.
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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