SC Collegium Recommends Nine Advocates for Appointment as Calcutta HC Judges

The collegium of the Supreme Court of India has recommended the names of nine advocates for appointment as judges of the Calcutta High Court, marking a significant step toward filling vacancies in one of the country’s busiest constitutional courts.

According to a statement issued after meetings held on May 11 and 12, the collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant approved the names of advocates Indranil Roy, Aryak Dutt, Atarup Banerjee, Sandip Kumar De, Partha Pratim Roy, Sudip Deb, Anuj Singh, Arjun Ray Mukherjee and Rishad Medora for elevation to the bench.

The Supreme Court collegium currently comprises the CJI along with Justices Vikram Nath and J K Maheshwari.

The collegium system is the mechanism through which judges are appointed to the higher judiciary in India. Though not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, the system evolved through a series of landmark Supreme Court judgments aimed at safeguarding judicial independence.

Under the existing process, recommendations for High Court judges originate from the concerned High Court collegium and are later scrutinised by the Supreme Court collegium. Once approved, the recommendations are forwarded to the Union government for further processing and eventual appointment by the President of India.

Legal experts note that appointments to High Courts are closely watched as several courts across the country continue to grapple with vacancies and mounting case pendency. Fresh appointments are expected to strengthen judicial functioning and improve disposal of cases.

The collegium statement, however, did not disclose any details regarding the social or community backgrounds of the recommended advocates. Traditionally, the collegium considers factors such as merit, integrity, legal expertise, seniority and representation while making judicial appointments.

The recommendations will now be examined by the Union Law Ministry before being sent to the President for formal approval and notification.