The Manipur High Court got its seventh Chief Justice on Friday as Justice Siddharth Mridul was sworn-in for the important post.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at Raj Bhavan in Imphal. State Governor Anusuiya Uikey administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Mridul.
The office of the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court fell vacant in February this year, following the elevation of Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium, accordingly, proposed appointment of Justice Mridul as the next Chief Justice on July 5.
However, the proposal remained with the Central government for more than three months. Justice MV Muralidharan was currently serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court.
On September 27, the Supreme Court expressed concerns at the collegium recommendations remaining pending with the Centre.
The Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul told the Attorney General for India that the proposal for appointment of Chief Justice of a ‘sensitive’ High Court (alluding to the Manipur High Court) was also among the pending resolutions. The Union of India then notified Justice Mridul’s appointment on October 16.
Justice Siddharth Mridul completed his LL.B. from Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, in 1986. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi the same year.
Throughout his career, he practiced law in various jurisdictions, including the Delhi High Court, as well as other renowned courts and tribunals.He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2008 and became a Permanent Judge in 2009.