NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court issued a notice on Monday to the Registrar General of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, requesting a comprehensive report regarding the reconsideration of two senior District Judicial Officers. This follows the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation on January 4 to elevate them as High Court judges.
The two-judge bench led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Prashant Kumar Misra, directed the Himachal Pradesh HC Registrar General to respond to a petition filed by senior district judges Chirag Bhanu Singh and Arvind Malhotra.
Emphasising the importance of examining the matter thoroughly, the court noted the need to review both the facts and the information assessed by the HC collegium. It stated that upon receiving the necessary information from the RG of HP HC, it would be further deliberated in July, without specifying an exact date.
In their petition, the two district court judges argued that the HP High Court’s collegium had overlooked their merit and seniority, contrary to the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation led by CJI D Y Chandrachud for their elevation from the service quota to the High Court.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, representing the petitioners, highlighted a collegium resolution from January 4, 2024, and subsequent communication from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to the Himachal Pradesh HC.
He urged the court to issue appropriate directions or orders in response. Datar pointed out that according to these guidelines, the HC collegium should have considered the names of the petitioner judicial officers for elevation as HC Judges, given their suitability and seniority. Ignoring these factors could prejudice his clients if other, recently accommodated judicial officers are considered for elevation.