The Union government has appointed two Advocates as judges of the Delhi High Court and one judicial officer as judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Meghwal said in exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, was pleased to appoint Advocates Ajay Digpaul and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar as judges of the Delhi High Court, as well as judicial officer Ashish Naithani as judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.
On August 21, 2024, the Supreme Court Collegium comprising the then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice BR Gavai had recommended the names of Advocates Digpaul and Shankar, along with advocate Shwetasree Majumder, for elevation as judges of the Delhi High Court.
On October 25, 2023, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, in consultation with two of his seniormost colleagues, had recommended the names of the three advocates for elevation as judges.
The Delhi High Court Chif Justice observed that in order to ascertain the fitness and suitability of these advocates for elevation to the High Court, he consulted his colleagues conversant with the affairs of the Delhi High Court. To assess the merit and suitability of the candidates for elevation, the material placed on record was scrutinized and evaluated, he added.
As per a resolution of the Supreme Court Collegium, it perused the observations made by the Department of Justice.