NEW DELHI: The Union Law Ministry on Monday notified the appointment of Justice Krishnan Vinod ChandranChief Justice of Patna HC, as a judge of the Supreme Court with effect from the date on which he assumes office. In another order, the government appointed Justice Ashutosh Kumarjudge of Patna HC, as acting chief justice of the high court with effect from the date on which Justice Chandran resigns from office.
Justice Chandran’s elevation to the high court came a week after the SC collegium recommended his name on January 7. The collegium, headed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, took into consideration the fact that there was no representation of the apex court in the SC. from Kerala. Justice Chandran’s parent high court is Kerala HC, and the last judge of that HC on the SC bench was Justice CT Ravikumar, who retired on January 5.
The SC collegium recommended Justice Chandran in December 2022 for appointment as Chief Justice of Gauhati HC. However, three months later, he withdrew the recommendation and passed a fresh resolution for his appointment as the chief justice of Patna HC. He took charge as Patna HC judge on March 29, 2023. Justice Chandran was the senior-most judge of Kerala HC and was ranked 13th in the all-India seniority list of HC judges. tnn