Madras High Court additional judges: two judicial officers who were not among the 15 names the Centre cleared in August have now been notified, nearly five months after the Collegium recommended them.
Chennai: Judicial officers Dharmalingam Lingeswaran and Balathandayutham Karthikeyan have been appointed by the Central government as additional judges of the Madras High Court, according to an announcement by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal on X.
From recommendation to notification
The two names were part of a batch of 19 persons for the Madras High Court, nine judicial officers and ten advocates, that the Supreme Court Collegium recommended on May 18, 2026. The underlying proposal is dated November 4, 2025.
The Centre cleared 15 of the 19 names on August 7, 2026. Lingeswaran and Karthikeyan were not among them at that stage, and their notification has now come nearly five months after the Collegium’s recommendation.
What the announcement leaves out
Both appointees are serving judicial officers, but the announcement does not state the posts they currently hold or the date on which they will take oath.
Appointment as an additional judge is the first stage of elevation to the High Court bench. A permanent appointment follows later, on a separate recommendation.
The gap between recommendation and bench
A Collegium recommendation reaches the bench only after the Centre notifies it, and the time between the two is a recurring point of discussion about how long vacancies stay unfilled. Here, two names were held back when most of the batch was cleared in August, and they have now followed.
Appointees: Dharmalingam Lingeswaran and Balathandayutham Karthikeyan, judicial officers, as Additional Judges of the Madras High Court
Announced by: Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal
Date of Notification: October 13, 2026
Collegium Recommendation: May 18, 2026