Breaking: Centre notifies appointment of Justice KM Joseph as Supreme Court judge

Nearly eight months after the recommendation was made, the saga surrounding elevation of Justice KM Joseph to Supreme Court has finally attained closure.

The Central government has notified his appointment as judge of the Supreme Court.

He will bid farewell to the Uttarakhand High Court where he is currently serving as the Chief Justice.

The Collegium had first recommended the name of Justice KM Joseph for elevation to Supreme Court along with the name of Justice Indu Malhotra, on January 10 this year. After more than three months, the Centre cleared the file of Malhotra J and notified her appointment to the Supreme Court on April 26.

However, it refused to clear Justice Joseph’s file, sending it back to the Collegium with a 6-page explanatory note on why it did not want him to be elevated to Supreme Court. This had led to a huge outcry, with many in the legal fraternity alleging that the Centre did so because of a judgment rendered by Justice Joseph, by which he struck down the President rule in the State of Uttarakhand.

The Collegium had subsequently met on at least three occasions to consider the issue but had deferred its decision.

Finally, on July 16, it had reiterated its decision to elevate Justice Joseph to Supreme Court.

Read the notification below.