Justice Vikram Nath named NALSA executive chairman; Justice Maheshwari to head SCLSC
President Droupadi Murmu has nominated Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath as executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). In a related development, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant nominated Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Judge of the Supreme Court, as the new Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC).
According to convention, the post of NALSA’s executive chairman is occupied by the senior-most judge after the CJI. The second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court occupies the position of chairman of the SCLSC. Their appointments take effect from Monday.
The president has made the nomination of Justice Nath in exercise of the powers conferred under the Legal Services Authorities Act. The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification to this effect on November 19. “As Executive Chairman, Justice Vikram Nath will guide NALSA’s nationwide efforts to provide free and accessible legal aid to all eligible citizens, especially those belonging to marginalised and economically weaker sections,” NALSA said in a press release.
Justice Nath, who has been serving on the Supreme Court Bench since 2021, has previously held positions as the chief justice of the Gujarat High Court and a judge of the Allahabad High Court. He was the first chief justice of a high court in India to live-stream court proceedings on a YouTube channel.
CJI Kant has made the nomination of Justice Maheshwari in exercise of the powers conferred under the Legal Services Authorities Act. A gazetted notification to this effect was published by the NALSA on November 20.
The SCLSC plays a pivotal role in facilitating legal aid and assistance to the marginalised and underprivileged sections of society seeking recourse before the Supreme Court. As chairman, Justice Maheshwari will be overseeing the committee’s functioning, policy directions and legal aid initiatives in alignment with the mandate under the Legal Services Act.
Justice Maheshwari, who has been serving on the top court since 2021, has previously held positions as chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
