[BREAKING] Collegium recommends elevation of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Aravind Kumar as Supreme Court judges

The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended the appointment of High Court Chief Justices Rajesh Bindal and Aravind Kumar as judges of the Supreme Court..Justice Bindal is currently serving as Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court while Justice Kumar is the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.."After carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations, the Collegium finds the following persons to be more deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India:i. Mr Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, (PHC: Punjab & Haryana), and ii. Mr Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat, (PHC: Karnataka)," the Collegium resolution said..The statement issued today further revealed that the following aspects were considered while making the recommendation i.e.:seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges in their parent High Courts as well as their overall seniority among High Court Judges,merit, performance and integrity,the need for diversity and inclusion in the Supreme Court, including the representation of High Courts not adequately represented in the Supreme Court..The two judges recommended will be in addition to the earlier recommendation made by the Collegium on December 13, 2022 to elevate five other judges to the top court.The resolution passed on Tuesday clarified that the five judges recommended earlier will have seniority over the two recommended on Tuesday."Therefore, the appointments of five judges recommended on December 13, 2022 should be notified separately and earlier in point of time before the two judges recommended by this resolution," the Collegium directed.The resolution of the Collegium for the appointment Justice Bindal was unanimous. However, with regard to the appointment of Justice Aravind Kumar, one of the members of the Collegium, Justice KM Joseph, expressed his reservations on the ground that his name can be considered at a later stage..Justice Rajesh Bindal was appointed as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in March 2006 and was eventually appointed as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in October 2021. In terms of seniority, Justice Bindal is the second most senior Judge among High Court Judges in the country, the Collegium noted. While recommending his name, the Collegium also observed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is Justice Bindal's parent High Court and one of the largest High Courts, is not adequately represented in the Supreme Court. .Justice Aravind Kumar was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court in June 2009 and was confirmed as a permanent Judge in December 2012. He was elevated as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court of Gujarat in October 2021. In terms of all-India seniority, Justice Kumar is presently the 26th senior-most Judge among High Court Judges. Further, Justice Kumar is presently the second-senior most Judge among judges hailing from the Karnataka High Court. There are two Judges from the Karnataka High Court on the Supreme Court bench at present, the Collegium noted while recommending his addition to the bench. .[Read Collegium Resolution]