5 lawyers recommended for elevation to bench

The high court collegium had earlier sent the names of three lawyers for elevation,but they were sent back by the Law Ministry. The three were advocates Suvir Sehgal,Sunil Chadha and J S Puri. At present,the bench strength in the high court is 43 against the sanctioned strength of 68. Also,names of six lower court judges were sent by the collegium more than a month back,but the fate of the recommendation is not known.

In September last year,the Apex Court and the Law Ministry had cleared the names of six lawyers and the former registrar of the high court. They were sworn in as high court judges last year.

The present recommendation has been made by the collegium (comprising of Chief Justice and two senior-most judges). The names have been sent to the Law Ministry and Apex Court for their approval. Once cleared,the new judges will undergo a medical examination and complete other formalities,following which their warrants of appointment would be received by the high court authorities. Consent of both the states ( Punjab and Haryana) is also required for final clearance.

In the recent past,two high court judges,Justice Ajai Lamba and Justice Mohinder Pal,have been transferred by the Apex Court. Last week,the Supreme Court had also ordered the transfer of Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia. He will join the Calcutta High Court.