Collegium recommends appointment of Justices N Kotiswar Singh, R Mahadevan as Supreme Court judges

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Jammu & Kashmir High Court Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan as judges of Supreme Court..The decision was taken by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy..Justice Singh has been serving as Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court since February 2023.He originally hails from Manipur and would be the first Supreme Court judge from that State, if his appointment is cleared by the Central government. "His appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," the Collegium said in its resolution.He has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work which has been rendered by him on the administrative side, as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Collegium further said while recommending his name. Justice Singh was born on March 1, 1963 at Imphal IN Manipur, to (Late) Justice N Ibotombi Singh of the Gauhati High Court, who had served as the first Advocate General of Manipur and N Gomati Devi.He briefly practiced before the Supreme Court of India before shifting to the Gauhati High Court. He was designated a Senior Advocate by the Gauhati High Court in 2008.In 2011, Justice Singh was sworn in as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court and in 2012, he was made a permanent judge.He was appointed a judge of the Manipur High Court upon its creation in the year 2013. He was later transferred to the Gauahti High Court in 2018 before being elevated as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court..Justice Mahadevan has been serving as Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court since May 2024."Mr Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from the State of Tamil Nadu. His appointment will bring diversity to the Bench," the Collegium noted.The Collegium noted that Mahadevan ranks only third in the order of seniority in Madras High Court.However, the Collegium chose to give him precedence to ensure representation from backward community. "At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Mr Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community," the resolution said.Justice Mahadevan completed his law degree at Madras Law College and enrolled as a lawyer in the year 1989.He practiced on the civil, criminal and writ sides with specialisation in indirect taxes, customs and Central Excise matters for a period of 25 years. He served as Additional Government Pleader (Taxes) for the Government of Tamil Nadu, and Additional Central Government Standing Counsel and Senior Panel Counsel for the Government of India at the Madras High Court, and conducted more than 9,000 cases.He was elevated as a judge of the Madras High Court in the year 2013..The Supreme Court is currently functioning with 32 judges as against its sanctioned strength of 34, a vacancy position of 2..[Read Resolution]