The Supreme Court Collegium has reiterated its earlier recommendation for elevation of two Advocates as Judges of Karnataka High Court.
In a meeting held on September 1, the Collegium reiterated on the names of advocate Nagendra R. Naik and Senior Advocate, Dr. Aditya Sondhi.
Advocate Nagendra R. Naik, a native of Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, was first recommended for elevation as a Judge of Karnataka High Court in October 2019, but was not approved by the Central government. He completed his graduation from Anjuman College, Dharwad and moved to Bangalore to pursue legal education from Bangalore University. He is a well-known Advocate of the Karnataka High Court and has an experience of more than 27 years. He is known to have a keen interest in horticulture and agriculture.
In February 2021, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the name of Senior Advocate, Dr. Aditya Sondhi, for elevation as Judge of Karnataka High Court, but was not approved by the Centre. Senior Advocate, Aditya Sondhi had finished his schooling from the prestigious Bishop Cotton Boys School, Bangalore in 1993. Subsequently, he joined the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and graduated in 1998. He completed his PhD from University of Mysore in 2013. He has served as Additional Advocate General for State of Karnataka from April, 2016 to April, 2018.
The Karnataka High Court has a sanctioned strength of 62 Judges (47 Permanent Judges and 15 Additional Judges). As per the list of Judges by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice as on September 1, the Karnataka High Court is functioning with a strength of 45 Judges, with 26 Permanent Judges and 19 Additional Judges. If these names are approved by the Centre, the High Court would reach a strength of 47 Judges with 15 vacancies.