The Supreme Court Collegium on Wednesday (24.07.2024) recommended extending the terms of nine Additional Judges of the Calcutta High Court for another year. They are;
- Justice Biswaroop Chowdhury
- Justice Partha Sarathi Sen
- Justice Prasenjit Biswas
- Justice Uday Kumar
- Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta
- Justice Supratim Bhattacharya
- Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee
- Justice Apurba Sinha Ray
- Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi
The Calcutta High Court Collegium, on April 29, 2024, unanimously recommended these Additional Judges for permanent positions. However, the Chief Minister and the Governor of West Bengal have not yet provided their views on this recommendation. Consequently, the Department of Justice has invoked Para 14 of the Memorandum of Procedure. This provision allows the Minister of Law and Justice to proceed with the recommendation if the constitutional authorities in the state do not respond within the prescribed timeframe, presuming that the Governor and the Chief Minister have nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly.
To determine the suitability of these judges for permanent appointments, the Supreme Court Collegium consulted colleagues familiar with the Calcutta High Court and assessed the judges’ rulings through a committee of two Supreme Court judges appointed by the Chief Justice of India. After evaluating the material, the Collegium concluded that these Judges should be reappointed as Additional Judges for another year.
