Amid the ongoing standoff with the Modi Government on the appointment of judges, the Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended to the Centre the names of Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar for elevation as SC judges.
All the six members of the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, were unanimous in recommending the name of Justice Bindal, said the resolution uploaded on the SC website. However, Justice KM Joseph had reservation in recommending the name of Justice Kumar, the resolution said.
“The resolution in regard to the appointment of Justice Rajesh Bindal is unanimous. ...In regard to the appointment of Chief Justice of the High Court of Gujarat Justice Aravind Kumar, Justice KM Joseph has expressed his reservations on the ground that his name can be considered at a later stage,” the resolution said.
“The Supreme Court of India has a sanctioned strength of thirty four judges and is presently functioning with twenty seven judges. Thus, there are seven clear vacancies. On 13 December 2022, the Collegium recommended five names for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court, namely (i) Justice Pankaj Mithal, (ii) Justice Sanjay Karol, (iii) Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, (iv) Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and (v) Justice Manoj Misra. Their appointment is yet to be notified by the Government. The Collegium resolves to recommend two more names for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court against the two remaining vacancies,” said the apex court in a statement.