The Union government has notified the appointments of chief justices of the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand high courts almost three months after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their elevation. It also approved the Collegium’s recommendations about making additional judges permanent in the high courts of Karnataka and Delhi.
“In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following chief justices and additional judges as permanent judges in high courts,” Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said a post on X.
The notification for elevating Punjab and Haryana high court judge GS Sandhawalia as chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh high court and Andhra Pradesh high court judge G Narendar as that of the Uttarakhand high court was issued on Monday.
Justice Narendar will replace Justice Ritu Bahri, who retired on October 10. The then Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud-led Collegium, which also included his successor, Sanjiv Khanna, and Justice Bhushan R Gavai on September 24 recommended Justice Narendar’s elevation.
Justice Narendar belongs to the other backward classes (OBC). He was elevated to the bench at the Karnataka high court in January 2015. Justice Narendar was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh high court in October. He is the senior-most judge in his parent high court. The Karnataka high court had no representation among the chief justices of the high courts until his elevation.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Narendar belongs to the other backward classes (OBC). He was elevated to the bench at the Karnataka high court in January 2015. Justice Narendar was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh high court in October. He is the senior-most judge in his parent high court. The Karnataka high court had no representation among the chief justices of the high courts until his elevation.
{{/usCountry}}The recommendation to elevate Justice Sandhawalia was made on September 17. He was the senior-most puisne judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, where he was elevated as a judge in September 2011. He was to take over following the retirement of Justice Rajiv Shakder as the Himachal Pradesh high court chief justice on October 18.
In July, Justice Sandhawalia was recommended for elevation as Madhya Pradesh high court chief justice. But the resolution was superseded by the decision in September. Justice Sandhwalia’s father was chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court from 1978 to 1983.