The Supreme Court Collegium approved twelve judicial appointment proposals across the Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, including promotions of judicial officers, elevation of advocates to the bench, and regularization of additional judges to strengthen judicial capacity.
The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recommended four High Court Chief Justices and senior advocate V Mohana for elevation as Supreme Court judges, with Mohana poised to become the first woman elevated to the apex court in over five years.
122 days into CJI Surya Kant’s tenure, no Supreme Court judge has been appointed despite one vacancy. The delay raises questions as past Collegiums usually made recommendations much earlier.
Orissa High Court Justice Savitri Ratho said, “I was stalked when I started practising law,” while speaking about the challenges faced by women lawyers. She shared the incident during a panel discussion on gender gaps in the judiciary at the Indian Women in Law conference held in the Supreme Court.
Out of 26 names cleared by the Supreme Court Collegium, the Centre approved 24 for the Allahabad High Court. Advocates Adnan Ahmad and Jai Krishna Upadhyay were kept pending, raising concerns over selective appointments.
The Law Ministry avoided giving direct answers in Rajya Sabha on pending Collegium recommendations for judicial appointments. Congress MPs flagged delays, but received only vague and general responses.
CJI Gavai emphasized that a country cannot genuinely call itself progressive or democratic unless it tackles deep-rooted social inequalities. He highlighted the urgent need to eliminate systemic barriers that continue to marginalize large sections of society.
CJI Bhushan R. Gavai firmly told the Centre, “Don’t act selectively on collegium recommendations,” stressing that judicial appointments must be handled fairly, without splitting or delaying names, to protect the independence and integrity of the judiciary.
