New Delhi, Jan 7 The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended the name of Patna High Court's Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran for elevation as a judge of the apex court.
"While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala," said a statement released by SC Collegium.
Justice K. Vinod Chandran was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court in November 2011 and was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on March 29, 2023.
"He has served as a Judge of the High Court for more than 11 years and as a Chief Justice of a big High Court for more than a year. During his long tenure as a Judge and Chief Justice of the High Court, Mr Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law,” the SC Collegium said.
In its meeting, the apex court Collegium deliberated on and discussed the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.
Born on April 25, 1963, Justice Chandran stands at serial no. 13 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges.
He obtained a law degree from Thiruvananthapuram’s Kerala Law Academy Law College and started practice in 1991. Before elevation, he served as Special Government Pleader (Taxes) of the Kerala government from 2007 to 2011.
Presently, the committee comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, commonly called the Collegium, sends the recommendation for the appointment of a judge to the apex court as per the 1993 Second Judges Case. The Collegium basically decides who will be appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court or a High Court.
As per convention, the government is obliged to accept the Collegium's recommendation if the decision has been reiterated.
In 2015, a five-judge Constitution Bench struck down the Centre’s idea of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) to replace the Collegium system. Article 124(2) of the Constitution provides that "every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with such of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary for the purpose".
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