5 Judicial Officers recommended for elevation to Karnataka HC, SC Collegium returns 2 names

The Supreme Court Collegium of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Madan Lokur has proposed a total of five names for elevation to the Bench at the Karnataka High Court.

The names proposed by the Supreme Court Collegium for elevation are those of Judicial Officers. Two names of Advocates were also considered for elevation but their proposal was remitted to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium.

In case of the proposal of the Judicial officers, the Collegium of the Karnataka High Court had unanimously proposed six names on January 13 last year. This proposal was taken up for consideration by the Supreme Court collegium once in November 2017 and another time in December 2017. However, the consideration of these names was deferred thereafter.

After due consideration by the Supreme Court Collegium, five out of these six names are finally proposed for appointment as Judges at the Karnataka High Court.

The Supreme Court Collegium observed that one of the Judicial Officers referred by the Karnataka High Court, Kokkengada Bheemayya Changappa, is already over 61 years of age and in the event that he was appointed as a Judge, he would have a very short tenure which “would not serve the desired purpose.”

Effectively, the Judicial Officers whose names Supreme Court Collegium has decided to propose are:

1. Ashok Golappa Nijagannavar,
2. Hethur Puttaswamy Gowda Sandesh,
3. Krishnan Natarajan,
4. Pralhadrao Govindrao Mutalik Patil, and
5. Appasaheb Shantappa Bellunke

In another resolution passed by the Supreme Court Collegium, proposal of two Advocates, B.N.Maheshwara and Arun Kumar Krishnan has been remitted to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court after the deliberations made by the Supreme Court. These names were recommended in August 2017 by the then Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court in consultation with his two senior most colleagues. These two recommendations also have the concurrence of the State Government.

A total of five names effectively have been recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as Judges at the Karnataka High Court.

Read the Collegium Resolutions: