President appoints eight High Court judges as Chief Justices

• In exercise of the power conferred under Article 217(1) of the Constitution, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Chief Justices to eight High Courts on September 5.

• The Chief Justices were appointed days after their names were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium.

• Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao, currently a judge of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. 

• Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge of the Bombay High Court will head the Calcutta High Court.

• Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

• Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.

• Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the court.

• Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra of the Orissa High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. 

• Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court will head the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

• Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati of the Rajasthan High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. 

Appointment of HC judges

• The High Court stands at the head of a state’s judicial administration.

• Article 214 of the Indian Constitution provides for a High Court for each state. The Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act of 1956 authorised the Parliament under Article 231 to establish a common High Court for two or more states and a Union Territory. 

• Articles 214 to 231 of the Constitution deals with the organisation, independence, jurisdiction, powers, procedures and other issues related to the High Courts.

• The Chief Justice and judges of the High Courts are appointed by the President under Article 217(1) of the Constitution.

• To be eligible for appointment as a HC judge one must be a citizen of India, have held a judicial office in India for 10 years or must have practised as an advocate of a High Court or two or more such courts in succession for a similar period.

Appointment of SC judges

• The CJI and judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution.

• Whenever a vacancy is expected to arise in the office of a judge of the Supreme Court, the CJI will initiate a proposal and forward his recommendation to the law minister to fill up the vacancy.

• The opinion of the CJI for appointment of a judge of the Supreme Court should be formed in consultation with a collegium of the four senior-most judges of the apex court.

• The opinion of members of the collegium in respect of each of the recommendations as well as the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court from the High Court from which a prospective candidate comes, would be made in writing. The CJI must transmit his opinion as also the opinion of all concerned to the government of India as part of record.

• After receipt of the final recommendation of the CJI, the law minister will put up the recommendations to the Prime Minister, who will advise the President in the matter of appointment.