Union law secretary Mendiratta named Delhi High Court judge

In a first, a Union law secretary has been appointed as a judge of a high court. Anoop Kumar Mendiratta has been elevated as a judge of the Delhi High Court. His name was recently recommended by the Supreme Court collegium.

It might be mentioned here that Mendiratta's appointment as the union law secretary in October 2019 was also a first. He was serving as the district and sessions judge when he was named the union law secretary.

His appointment as union law secretary was seen as a departure from the old procedure wherein one of the additional secretaries from a pool of Indian Legal Services (ILS) cadre used to be elevated to the post of law secretary. Mendiratta, known as a "stickler to the rules", was viewed by his peer group and lawyers as a "strict" judge.