New Delhi, Aug 21 The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Wednesday recommended the elevation of three advocates as judges in the Delhi High Court.
In October last year, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues, forwarded the recommendation for the elevation of advocates Ajay Digpaul, Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, and Shwetasree Majumder to the Bench.
The SC Collegium said that it consulted other apex court judges conversant with the affairs of the Delhi High Court to ascertain the fitness and suitability of these candidates, adding that it perused the observations made by the Department of Justice in the file and evaluated the materials placed on record.
Advocate Ajay Digpaul, who appeared in 42 reported judgments delivered by the Delhi High Court, has a considerable experience of 31 years in several branches of law including civil, criminal, constitutional, labour, company, service and commercial law with specialisation in civil and criminal cases.
"Our sole consultee-Judge has given a positive opinion on the suitability of the candidate for appointment as a Judge of the High Court. The inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that his professional competence is viewed to be good and there is nothing adverse regarding his integrity," noted the SC Collegium.
Advocate Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar has extensive practice which is reflected in 180 reported judgments delivered in the cases in which he argued, said the apex court Collegium, adding that the inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that his professional competence is viewed to be good and there is nothing adverse about his integrity.
Advocate Shwetasree Majumder has an extensive practice of more than 21 years and vast experience in civil matters, particularly intellectual property rights (IPR), technology, advertising and trade secret matters.
The SC Collegium said: "Regarding the suitability of the candidate, our consultee-Judge is of the opinion that the candidate is suitable for being elevated as a Judge of the High Court. The inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that the candidate is a competent lawyer in the field of Intellectual Property Rights."
Besides, her elevation would promote diversity and inclusivity on the Bench of the Delhi High Court and her expertise in the area of IPR is of significant importance, added the SC Collegium.
It resolved to recommend that advocates Ajay Digpaul, Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, and Shwetasree Majumder be appointed as Delhi High Court judges and their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existing practice.
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