Supreme Court Collegium recommends Delhi High Court Chief Justice for appointment as apex court judge

Supreme Court Collegium recommends Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Manmohan, for appointment to apex court.

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna recommended Justice Manmohan, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, for appointment as apex court judge on Thursday (November 28, 2024).

Justice Manmohan’s is the first recommendation to the Supreme Court Bench from the Chief Justice Khanna Collegium. If appointed to the apex court, Justice Manmohan would fill one of the two pending vacancies in the Supreme Court, which has a sanctioned judicial strength of 34.

The two vacancies arose with the retirements of Chief Justice Khanna’s predecessor, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, and Justice Hima Kohli.

Justice Manmohan ranks second in the combined all-India seniority of High Court judges. He is also the senior-most judge serving in the Delhi High Court. Like Justice Manmohan, Chief Justice Khanna’s parent High Court is also Delhi. Chief Justice Khanna was appointed to the Supreme Court in January 2019 while he was a senior puisne judge of the Delhi High Court.

He was appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on March 13, 2008. He has been functioning as the Chief Justice of the High Court since September 29 this year.

“While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that, at present, the Bench of Supreme Court is represented by only one judge from the High Court of Delhi. The Supreme Court Collegium has, therefore, unanimously recommended that Mr. Justice Manmohan be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court,” the resolution said.