New Delhi: The high courts of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Madras, Kerala, Orissa, Jharkhand and Patna are likely to get new chief justices with the Supreme Court Collegium recommending the names for the posts to the government.
The collegium has recommended the names of justices Rajendra Menon, Gita Mittal, V K Tahilramani, Hrishikesh Roy, K S Jhaveri, Aniruddha Bose and M R Shah for chief justices of high courts of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Madras, Kerala, Orissa, Jharkhand and Patna respectively.
While Menon is currently the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, Mittal is functioning as Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
Tahilramani is the senior-most judge from the Bombay High Court and Roy, who is from the Gauhati High Court, is currently serving on transfer as Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
Justice Bose, senior puisne judge of the Calcutta High Court and whose name was earlier on January 10 recommended for the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court but was referred back by the law ministry for reconsideration, has now been recommended to be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
In its July 16 meeting, the five-member Collegium, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, said, "On reconsideration, the Collegium in supersession of the above recommendation resolves to recommend that Justice Rajendra Menon, Chief Justice of Patna High Court, be transferred, on account of administrative exigencies, to Delhi High Court."
The five-member Collegium also comprised justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri. On the same day, a Collegium comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices Gogoi and Lokur recommended the name of Justice Mittal as the Chief Justice of the J&K HC.