Collegium To Reiterate KM Joseph’s Name For Elevation To Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Collegium today agreed in-principle to reiterate the name of Uttrakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph for elevation as a judge of the apex court.

However, his name has not been officially reiterated yet. The Collegium will meet again on May 16 to discuss other names for possible elevation to the Supreme Court. Justice Joseph's name will be sent back to the Centre along with others, according to a collegium resolution published on the Supreme Court's website.

“The said reiteration should also be accompanied by the recommendation of the names of Chief Justices of High Courts for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court, for which detailed discussion is required,” the resolution said.

The government had on April 26 returned the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph seeking its reconsideration, saying the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters and there was adequate representation of Kerala in the higher judiciary from where he hails. It had also questioned his seniority for elevation as a judge of the apex court.

Before he was made the Chief Justice of the Uttrakhand High Court, Justice KM Joseph has served as a judge in the Kerala High Court for nine years.

All five members of the collegium including the CJI Dipak Misra, Justice J Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph were present in the meeting today.

The meeting was called a day after Justice Jasti Chelameswar, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, wrote to Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to convene a meeting of the Collegium to consider Justice Joseph's name once again.