Who are the New Judges Appointed by President Murmu in Allahabad High Court?

New Delhi, Sep 6 (NationPress) President Droupadi Murmu has officially appointed advocates Amitabh Kumar Rai and Rajiv Lochan Shukla as Judges of the Allahabad High Court, effective from the date they take charge of their respective positions, as confirmed by an official statement on Saturday.

The official from the Ministry of Law and Justice stated that the President's decision is made in accordance with the authority granted by the Constitution of India and follows consultations with the Chief Justice of India.

On September 1, the Centre also appointed advocate Arun Kumar as a judge of the Allahabad High Court.

"In alignment with the authority provided by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Arun Kumar as a Judge of the Allahabad High Court effective from the date he assumes office," stated a notification from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court Collegium, led by then CJI DY Chandrachud, recommended his appointment, highlighting his “eminent fitness” for the role based on a review of his professional background and inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

The apex court's Collegium had initially postponed the proposal in January 2023 due to certain observations from the IB.

However, the Department of Justice later provided a report dated February 1, 2023, clarifying that the IB had “no additional inputs” beyond its previous observations.

In its statement, the SC Collegium emphasized Kumar's extensive legal career and the positive feedback from consultee judges.

"The candidate is around 51 years old and meets the income criteria. With over 25 years of practice at the Bar, he has experience in handling a variety of cases before the High Court concerning constitutional, civil, and revenue matters,” it noted.

“Considering that the Intelligence Bureau has no additional or specific inputs or verifiable material, the Collegium believes that the candidate is uniquely qualified and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad,” the SC Collegium's statement concluded.

According to the memorandum of procedure (MoP) governing High Court judge appointments, the proposal must be initiated by the Chief Justice. If the Chief Minister wishes to recommend a name, it should be forwarded to the Chief Justice for consideration.

The Governor, on the advice of the Chief Minister, must send his recommendation along with all relevant documents to the Union Minister of Law and Justice promptly, but no later than six weeks from receiving the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court.

The proposal is then evaluated by the Centre along with any background information before being presented to the CJI, who consults the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court prior to finalizing a recommendation.

After these consultations, the CJI will send his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice within four weeks.