After a delay of two months, the Centre on Saturday cleared the appointment of five judges amid an intense back-and-forth between the judiciary and the government.
The panel of judges known as the collegium, which makes the recommendations, had in December sent the names of three high court chief justices and two judges for elevation to the Supreme Court, which would take the total strength of judges in the top court to 32. Here are the five judges whose appointment has been cleared by the Centre:
Justice Pankaj Mithal: Having graduated from Allahabad University in the year 1982 and passed the LLB from Meerut College, Justice Pankaj Mithal has practiced in the Allahabad High Court since 1985. In January 2021, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Justice Sanjay Karol: He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court on 11th November, 2019. Before that, he served as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court. Justice Karol has acted as the Patron-in-Chief of Tripura State Legal Services Authority as well as the Chairman of the Tripura Judicial Academy. He was born in Shimla on 23rd August, 1961.
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar: He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court in 2021 and prior to that was a Judge of High Court of Punjab and Haryana. He was born on August 14, 1963 to Late Sri P. Ramachandra Reddy who was the former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh (1969 to 1982).
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah: He was elevated as Judge, Patna High Court on 20th June, 2011 and then transferred to Andhra Pradesh High Court on 10th October, 2021. He was then re-transferred to Patna High Court on 20th June last year. He was born on May 11, 1963 and enrolled with the Bihar State Bar Council on 27th September, 1991.
Justice Manoj Misra: He graduated in Law from University of Allahabad in 1988 and enrolled as an Advocate on December 12, 1988. After practicing in civil, revenue, criminal and constitutional sides at Allahabad High Court, he was elevated as Additional Judge on November 21, 2011. He took oath as a permanent judge on August 06, 2013.
