If cleared by centre, Justice Singh will be first SC judge from Manipur

Supreme Court collegium headed by CJI DY Chandrachud has recommended elevation of J&K High Court chief justice N Kotiswar Singh and Madras HC acting chief justice R Mahadevan to the top court. If cleared by the Centre, Justice Singh, who hails from Manipur, will be the first SC judge from the state.

He was appointed CJ of J&K HC in February last year. "His appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the northeast and in particular he will be the first judge from the state of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court," the collegium said in its resolution. Born in Imphal, justice Singh briefly practiced in SC before shifting to Gauhati HC. In 2011, he was sworn in as additional judge of Gauhati HC and in 2012, he was made a permanent judge.

He was appointed a judge of Manipur HC after its creation in 2013. He was later transferred to Gauhati HC in 2018 before being elevated as CJ of J&K and Ladakh HC. Justice Mahadevan has been serving as acting CJ of Madras HC since May. "Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from the state of Tamil Nadu. His appointment will bring diversity to the bench," the collegium said. It noted that Mahadevan ranks third in the order of seniority in Madras HC. But, the collegium chose to give him precedence to ensure representation from the backward community.