CJI Misra Calls Collegium Meet on Justice KM Joseph File: Report

The collegium is likely to discuss the centre’s rejection of the recommendation to appoint Justice KM Joseph to SC.

Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

CJI Dipak Misra has reportedly called a meeting of the five-member Supreme Court collegium that he leads on 2 May. The collegium comprises Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph.

As reported by The Indian Express, while no formal agenda has been set for the meeting, the collegium is expected to discuss the government’s decision to turn down the recommendation to appoint Justice KM Joseph to the Supreme Court.

Misra has been facing flak from acting and former judges, as well as from the public, for allegedly allowing the government to obstruct the legal proceedings involving the elevation of Justice Joseph – whose name was recommended alongside that of Justice Indu Malhotra in January. While Justice Malhotra was sworn in as Supreme Court judge on 27 April, Justice Joseph’s name was returned by the government.

On 27 April, CJI Misra sent a copy of Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s letter returning Justice Joseph’s name to the other four members of the collegium. In the letter, Prasad offered point-by-point explanations for why Justice Joseph’s name had been turned down.

(Photo: Screengrab of the letter)

A day before that, former CJI RM Lodha had called out CJI Misra’s alleged passivity in the situation, saying that it was expected of any Chief Justice of India to “immediately call a meeting of the collegium and take up the matter with the government”.

Notably, Justice Joseph had opposed the imposition of the President’s Rule in Uttarakhand in 2016.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)

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