New Delhi: The Centre has issued a notification appointing Delhi High Court’s Justice Siddarth Mridul as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, acting belatedly on the recommendation made by the CJI D.Y. Chandrachud-led Supreme Court Collegium.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause ( 1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Siddharth Mridul, Judge of the Delhi High Court, to be Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” read a notification issued on Monday.
Recently, Attorney General R. Venkataramani had submitted before the apex court that the file relating to appointment of Chief Justice of Manipur High Court has been cleared by the Centre and an official notification will be published very soon.
In July, Justice Mridul was recommended by SC Collegium for appointment as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court after Centre government failed to timely act on recommendation for appointment of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur.
The Collegium recommended the name of Justice Thakur for appointment as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Justice Mridul was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi in March 2008 and has been functioning as the senior-most puisne Judge in his parent High Court. Last week, the Collegium reiterated its earlier recommendation dated October 9 to transfer Justice M.V. Muralidaran – who was functioning as Acting Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court – to Calcutta High Court for better administration of justice.
The office of the Chief Justice of the High Court fell vacant in February this year consequent upon the elevation of Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar to the Supreme Court.
(IANS)
