NEW DELHI: Less than a month since the row over Gopal Subramanium’s appointment as a Supreme Court judge, the standoff between the judiciary and Executive came to the fore yet again, this time over the appointment of Karnataka High Court Judge K L Manjunath as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
After the government sent back the file, the Supreme Court Collegium has re-recommended Manjunath’s elevation.
According to Law Ministry sources, a Supreme Court judge, who had served in the Karnataka High Court, wrote an adverse note on Manjunath and questioned his elevation. The note was not taken on record by Chief Justice of India R M Lodha while finalising Manjunath’s name for elevation. As per Law Ministry officials, the decision to send back the Collegium’s recommendation was made after consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the Collegium, after looking into the Centre’s concerns, found no merit in the complaints against Manjunath and reiterated its recommendation. The NDA government now has no other option but to elevate Justice Manjunath to the post of Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.