The Central Government on Wednesday officially notified the appointment of seven advocates as judges of the Patna High Court, significantly boosting the judicial strength of the state’s highest court.
The official notification comes after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended a list of nine advocates for elevation in February. However, the executive has split the clearance, keeping the appointments of two recommended advocates on hold for the time being.
The New Appointments: Permanent and Additional Judges
The seven newly appointed judicial officers have been categorized into permanent and additional judges. According to the official notification:
Appointed as Permanent Judges:
- Ranjan Kumar Jha
- Kumar Manish
- Raj Kumar
Appointed as Additional Judges:
- Rana Vikram Singh
- Vikash Kumar
- Girijish Kumar
- Alok Kumar
Additional judges are typically appointed for a period of two years before being considered for elevation to permanent status based on performance, vacancy, and further recommendations from the High Court administration and the Collegium.
Two Collegium Recommendations Held Back
The Supreme Court Collegium, led by the Chief Justice of India, had originally recommended a total of nine advocates for elevation to the Patna High Court bench during its meeting in February.
While the Centre has cleared seven names from that list, the files of two prominent advocates remain pending or withheld:
- Md Nadim Seraj
- Sanjeev Kumar
No official reasons have been provided by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice regarding why these two names were excluded from Wednesday’s notification. The practice of “segregating” Collegium recommendations by the executive has previously been a point of friction between the judiciary and the government.
Impact on Patna High Court’s Vacancy Crisis
The Patna High Court has been grappling with a severe shortage of judges, which has severely impacted case clearance rates and increased the backlog of litigations in the state.
- Sanctioned Strength: 53 Judges
- Working Strength (Prior to Wednesday): 37 Judges
- Vacancies (Prior to Wednesday): 16 Seats
With the induction of these seven new judges, the functional strength of the Patna High Court is set to rise to 44, bringing the total vacancy down to 9. While this provides much-needed relief to the overburdened bench, legal experts emphasize that filling the remaining vacancies—including the clearance of the pending Collegium recommendations—remains crucial for ensuring the smooth delivery of justice.
