Supreme Court Collegium recommends elevation of three lawyers, one judicial officer as judges of Uttarakhand High Court

The Supreme Court Collegium on Wednesday recommended elevation of three advocates and a judicial officer as judges of the Uttarakhand High Court.

The recommended three lawyers are:

▪️Rakesh Thapliyal;

▪️Pankaj Purohit; And

▪️Subhash Upadhyay;

The recommended judicial officer is:

▪️Vivek Bharti Sharma.

On September 7, 2022, the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court made the above recommendation in consultation with his two senior most colleagues.

The apex court collegium noted that the Chief Minister and the Governor of the state of Uttarakhand agreed with the recommendation.

The file was received in the Supreme Court on April 1, 2023, from the Department of Justice.

To ascertain the suitability of the candidates, the Supreme Court Collegium held consultations with Supreme Court judges familiar with the cases of the Uttarakhand High Court.

Taking into account such consultations and other material, the Collegium decided to recommend four candidates for elevation to the Uttarakhand High Court.

As on 1 April, the Uttarakhand High Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 11 judges, is functioning with 5 judges, with a vacancy position of 6.