The Supreme Court collegium comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice BR Gavai has recommended Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey for permanent appointment as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court.

Additionally, Justice Sachin Singh Rajput and Justice Radhakishan Agrawal have been recommended as additional judges for the Chhattisgarh High Court. Furthermore, the collegium recommended the extension of Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal as Additional Judge for a fresh term for one year at the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

This recommendation was made after considering the unanimous proposal from the High Court of Chhattisgarh on November 22, 2023, regarding Justice Pandey's appointment as a permanent judge and the extension of Justices Rajput and Agrawal's terms.

The collegium meticulously considered the views of the Chief Minister and the Governor of Chhattisgarh, as well as consulted a Supreme Court judge familiar with the affairs of the Chhattisgarh High Court to assess the suitability of the nominees. Additionally, a committee of two Supreme Court judges evaluated the judgments of the additional judges.

The notification dated April 24, 2024 read, “In view of the above, the Collegium resolves to recommend as under: (i) Shri Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey be appointed as permanent Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh, and (ii) Shri Justice Sachin Singh Rajput and Shri Justice Radhakishan Agrawal be appointed as Additional Judges for a fresh term of one year with effect from 16 May 2024 and 2 August 2024 respectively.”

Regarding Justice Nargal's extension, the collegium consulted Supreme Court judges acquainted with the affairs of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. A committee of two Supreme Court judges assessed Justice Nargal's judgments and rated their quality as 'good'.

The notification dated April 24, 2024 read, “In view of the above, the Collegium resolves to recommend that Mr Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal, Additional Judge, be appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for a fresh term of one year with effect from 3 June 2024.

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