Justice Guhanathan Narendar Takes Oath as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court
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Dehra Dun, Dec 26 (NationPress) Justice Guhanathan Narendar was formally sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday. The oath of office was administered by Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd) during a ceremony at Raj Bhawan, which was attended by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, other puisne judges of the Uttarakhand High Court, and various dignitaries.
Earlier this week, the Central Government approved the appointments of Chief Justices for the High Courts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
In a statement on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal revealed that President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Guhanathan Narendar as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court and Justice G.S. Sandhawalia as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
"In accordance with the authority granted by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President has appointed Shri Justice Guhanathan Narendar, Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, effective from the date he assumes his office," stated a notification from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
In September, the Supreme Court Collegium, chaired by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), recommended the appointment of Justice Narendar G. as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand following the retirement of Justice Ritu Bahri on October 10.
Justice Narendar G. initially became a Judge of the Karnataka High Court in January 2015.
"He was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 30, 2023, and has been serving there since. He is the senior-most Judge in his original High Court and belongs to the Other Backward Class," noted the SC Collegium, which added that he practiced before the Karnataka High Court prior to his elevation.
The Collegium emphasized that Narendar G. is a seasoned judge with extensive experience in both the judicial and administrative functions of the High Courts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
"The Collegium believes that Mr. Justice Narendar G is thoroughly qualified for the position of Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court," it stated, noting that currently, the Karnataka High Court lacks representation among Chief Justices of various High Courts.
The Memorandum of Procedure regarding the appointment of Chief Justices of High Courts stipulates that "fair representation should be provided to different High Courts in the selection of Chief Justices. For such selection, the inter-se seniority of puisne Judges will be determined based on their seniority in their respective High Courts. The criteria for appointing Chief Justices will be based on seniority, merit, and integrity."
