SC Collegium's 4 names, including John Sathyan for Madras HC, yet to be cleared

NEW DELHI: There has been no forward movement on the names reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Justice DY Chandrachud for appointment as High Court judges, including a judge for the Madras High Court, as the Chief Justice of India demits office on November 10.

The Collegium had earlier accused the Centre of inordinate delay in notifying the name of advocate R John Sathyan as Madras High Court judge.

The collegium had in January 2023 reiterated the names of advocates Saurabh Kirpal for elevation as a judge of the Delhi High Court, R John Satyan as judge of the Madras HC, and Amitesh Banerjee and Sakya Sen as judges of the Calcutta High Court. The top court collegium had also reiterated the name of Somasekhar Sundaresan, also an advocate, as judge of the Bombay High Court in January 2023. In November that year, he was elevated as a judge of the Bombay HC.

People aware of the procedure to appoint High Court and Supreme Court judges said the files relating to Kirpal, Satyan, Banerjee and Sen are still pending with the government.

In January 2023, the Supreme Court Collegium had for the second time reiterated the names of Banerjee and Sen for appointment as judges of the Calcutta High Court ‘expeditiously,’ saying it was not open for the government to repeatedly send back the same proposal.

Advocate Banerjee is the son of former apex court judge Justice UC Banerjee, who headed a commission that in 2006 ruled out conspiracy angle in the 2002 Sabarmati Express fire tragedy at Godhra that killed 58 ‘kar sevaks’.

The Collegium had earlier asked preference to be given to Justice Sathyan’s appointment to the Madras High Court. But his name was overlooked when five judges were appointed to the MHC last. This was seen as a breach of the Collegium’s recommendation to clear Justice John Sathyan’s name first.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna will take over as the next CJI on November 11, a day after Justice Chandrachud demits office and will have a tenure of a little over six months. He will retire on May 13, 2025 on attaining the age of 65 years.