NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday cleared the appointment of Justice N Kotiswar Singh and R Mahadevan as Supreme Court judges.
Justice Singh would be the first judge from Manipur to be elevated to the apex court.
The SC Collegium has on July 11 recommended Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh and Acting Chief of Madras High Court R Mahadevan for elevation to the apex court.
In a post on X, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, has appointed the two judges Justice Singh and Justices Mahadevan as Supreme Court judges.
Also Read: Kiren Rijiju Replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal as Law Minister: A Surprise Cabinet Reshuffle
In its resolution, the Collegium has said, “His (Justice Singh) appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.”
It had noted Justice Singh has an impeccable record, both in judicial capacity and in terms of the work which has been rendered by him on the administrative side, as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
"Considering the candidature of Justice N Kotiswar Singh in terms of his judicial performance, administrative acumen, integrity and merit, the Collegium is of the view that he is eminently suitable for being appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court," it has said.
Justice Mahadevan, the acting chief justice of the Madras High Court, belonged to Backward Classes and his appointment would bring diversity to the bench, the Collegium has said.
Born in 1963 in Chennai, Justice Mahadevan graduated from the Madras Law College before being enrolled as an advocate in 1989. He mainly practised in civil, criminal and writ sides, but his area of specialisation was on tax law.
He was elevated as a judge of the High Court in 2013. He is well-known for his erudition in Tamil literature, ancient and modern.
The SC Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and comprised four senior most judges Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy.
