Supreme Court Collegium recommends appointment of Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice R Mahadevan as Judges of the Supreme Court

In a recent resolution, the Supreme Court (SC) Collegium recommended two judges for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court of India. The resolution was passed on July 11, 2024, by the Collegium constituting Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Hrishikesh Roy. Mr. Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Mr. Justice R Mahadevan have been recommended for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court. 

Justice N Kotiswar Singh is serving as Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. He was appointed as a Judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011, and transferred to the Manipur High Court after the formation of the Manipur HC because he originally hails from Manipur. While recommending his name, the Collegium observed, “His 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.” The resolution reads, “Mr Justice N Kotiswar 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 Mr 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.”

Mr. Justice R Mahadevan is serving as the Acting Judge of the Madras High Court. He belongs to a backward community in the State of Tamil Nadu. Considering this, the SC Collegium pointed out that his appointment would bring diversity to the Bench. The resolution states that “The Collegium has taken due note of the fact that Mr 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. At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Mr Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community.”

After the retirement of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice AS Bopanna on April 10, 2024, and May 19. 2024, respectively, two seats are vacant in the SC. To fulfill the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court Bench there is a need to appoint judges; therefore, Mr. Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Mr. Justice R Mahadevan have been recommended. While selecting the names, the Collegium considered the following aspects:

• 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 marginalized and backward segments of the community.