CJI to hold collegium meet next week on SC vacancies

Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai is set to convene his inaugural collegium meeting next week, with a view to addressing three vacancies in the Supreme Court and effecting crucial appointments in several high courts.

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI:

According to people familiar with the matter, the meeting of the five-member collegium is scheduled to be held on May 26, during which the country's senior-most judges will deliberate over a list of 100 high court judges to identify three suitable candidates for elevation to the apex court.

At present, the Supreme Court is short of two judges. With Justice Abhay S Oka set to retire on May 24, the strength will dip further just ahead of the anticipated collegium deliberation. The collegium on May 26 will comprise, apart from CJI Gavai, Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari and BV Nagarathna.

"While Justice Vikram Nath is currently away, the list comprising the 100 most senior judges from across high courts is ready for circulation among collegium members -- as is the usual practice. This list forms the basis of discussions before the collegium finalises its recommendations to the government," said one of the persons cited above.

This person further indicated that the collegium is likely to propose names from the high courts of Delhi and Bombay, in order to ensure balanced regional representation. Currently, only one Supreme Court judge hails from the Delhi High Court.

With Justice Oka's impending retirement, Bombay high court's representation will shrink to just two judges. The last judge from Delhi to retire from the Supreme Court was Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on May 13 after a six-month tenure as the Chief Justice of India.