Collegium recommends justice Chandran for SC; transfers 2 CJs

The Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday recommended the appointment of Patna high court chief justice K Vinod Chandran as a judge in the top court. The recommendation came days after justice CT Ravikumar, the only judge from Kerala in the apex court, retired on January 5, leaving a vacancy and a regional void on the bench.

The collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, and comprising justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay S Oka, also proposed the transfer of two sitting high court chief justices. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya of the Bombay high court was recommended for appointment as the chief justice of the Delhi high court, while justice Alok Aradhe of the Telangana high court was proposed for transfer to the Bombay high court.

With a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, the Supreme Court is currently short of two judges. Justice Chandran’s appointment, if approved by the government, would not only fill one of these vacancies but also ensure representation from Kerala in the top court.

Highlighting justice Chandran’s extensive experience and seniority, the collegium noted in its resolution: “During his long tenure as a judge and chief justice of the high court, justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law. Justice Chandran stands at serial no. 13 in the combined all-India seniority of high court judges. In the seniority of judges hailing from the high court of Kerala, justice Chandran stands at serial no.1. 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.”

Justice Chandran, 61, earned his law degree from a Kerala college and began practicing law in 1991. He served as special government pleader (Taxes) for the Kerala government from 2007 to 2011 before being appointed as an additional judge of the Kerala high court in November 2011. Justice Chandran became a permanent judge of the Kerala high court in June 2013 and was elevated as the chief justice of the Patna high court in March 2023. Known for his sharp legal acumen and administrative skills, his appointment to the Supreme Court is expected to uphold Kerala’s legacy of judicial representation in the top court following justice Ravikumar’s retirement.

Justice Upadhyaya, born in June 1965 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar district, pursued his legal education at Lucknow University and began his practice in 1991. His legal career was primarily centred on civil and constitutional law at the Allahabad high court. After serving as the chief standing counsel for Uttar Pradesh from 2007 to 2011, justice Upadhyaya was appointed a judge of the Allahabad high court in November 2011 and was elevated to a permanent judge in August 2013. He served as the senior judge of the Lucknow bench before being appointed the chief justice of the Bombay high court in July 2023.

Justice Aradhe, 60, began his legal practice in 1988, specialising in civil, constitutional, arbitration and company law. Over the years, he gained recognition for his contributions to legal scholarship, revising seminal works on administrative law and statutory interpretation. Justice Aradhe was appointed an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh high court in December 2009 and became a permanent judge in February 2011. He later served in the Jammu and Kashmir high court, including a stint as acting chief justice, before being transferred to the Karnataka high court in 2018. In July 2023, he took oath as the chief justice of the Telangana high court. His proposed transfer to the Bombay high court is seen as a move to strengthen the judicial leadership in one of India’s busiest high courts.