New Delhi | The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Thursday recommended to the Centre the names of high court judges N Kotiswar Singh and R Mahadevan for elevation to the apex court.
While Justice Singh is currently the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Justice Mahadevan is the Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
"In view of the foregoing, the collegium resolves to recommend that the appointment of the above persons be made in the following order of seniority: (i) Justice N Kotiswar Singh, and (ii) Justice R Mahadevan," said the collegium resolution uploaded on the top court's website.
The other members of the top court collegium are justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy.
The apex court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the CJI, has 32 judges at present.
The collegium resolution said Justice Singh, who originally hails from Manipur, was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011 and on formation of the Manipur High Court, he was transferred there as a judge.
It said he was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on February 15 last year.
"His (Justice Singh) appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," it said.
The collegium said Justice Singh has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work which has been rendered by him on the administrative side, as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
"Considering the candidature of Justice N Kotiswar Singh in terms of his judicial performance, administrative acumen, integrity and merit, the collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," the resolution said.
It said Justice Mahadevan is presently the Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
"Being conversant with the work of Justice Mahadevan on the judicial side and as a senior judge of the high court, the collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court," it said.
The resolution said Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from Tamil Nadu and his appointment will bring diversity to the bench.
"The collegium has taken due note of the fact that Justice R Mahadevan ranks third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras High Court including the judges who have been posted as chief justices outside the Madras High Court," it said.
"At this stage, the collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community," the apex court collegium said.
The resolution said the collegium has considered the names of the chief justices and senior judges of the high courts within the zone of consideration.
"In arriving at its recommendations, the collegium has had due regard to the seniority of the judges under consideration; merit as demonstrated by the judgments authored by the judges and performance; integrity; the need to ensure diversity in terms of region, gender and community and the need for inclusion of the marginalised and backward segments of the community," it said.
Justice Singh was born on March 1, 1963 at Imphal. He graduated from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, in 1983 and did LLB from Delhi University.
He was designated as a senior advocate by the Gauhati High Court on March 31, 2008.
Justice Mahadevan was born on June 10, 1963. He was elevated as a judge of the Madras High Court in 2013.
