Justice Menon tipped to be Patna high court CJ

Justice Rajendra Menon is among 10 judges cleared for the post of chief justice of various high courts. The final approval of the appointment at the level of the prime minister’s office (PMO) is awaited.

The Union law ministry has cleared the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation for the appointment of justice Rajendra Menon of the Madhya Pradesh high court as chief justice of the Patna high court.

The Patna high court.(File photo)

Justice PK Mohanty has been recommended for chief justice of Jharkhand high court.

However, the final approval of the appointment at the level of the prime minister’s office (PMO) is awaited.

Supreme Court bar association vice-president Ajit Kumar Sinha said it was now known that Justice Menon’s name had been recommended for the post of Patna high court chief justice.

“However, I can’t say this is final till it has been approved at the highest level. I expect to have a word on this matter by Monday”, senior advocate Sinha told HT, on Friday.

Justice Menon is among 10 judges cleared for the post of chief justice of various high courts. The files concerned have been forwarded to the prime minister’s office (PMO) for necessary formalities.

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Justice Menon, 59, is, at present acting chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh high court. He has been serving on the bench of the court as permanent judge since March 2003.

Justice Hemant Gupta has been holding charge as acting chief justice of the Patna high court since chief justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari retired on October 28, 2016.

Sources said the collegium had recommended the name of justice Hemant Gupta for the post of chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh high court.

Further, the collegium has recommended the name of the second senior most judge of the Patna high court, justice Navaniti Prasad Singh, for the post of chief justice of the Kerala high court.

Other names recommended for appointment as chief justice are justice Abhilasha Kumari for Tripura high court, justice BD Ahmed for Jammu and Kashmir high court, justice Pradeep Nandarajog for Rajasthan high court, Justice T Vaiphei for Hyderabad high court, Justice HG Ramesh for Madras high court and Justice TB Radhakrishnan for Chhattisgarh high court.