The Supreme Court Collegium, in a significant move to strengthen the judiciary in Karnataka, has approved the proposal for the appointment of three Judicial Officers as Judges of the High Court of Karnataka. The decision was formalized during a meeting held on April 14, 2026.
Recommended Appointees
The Collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India, cleared the names of the following Judicial Officers for elevation:
- Smt. Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde
- Smt. Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi
- Shri Mahadevappa Brungesh
The recommendation follows a consultative process where the Collegium assesses the merit, integrity, and performance of Judicial Officers serving in the state’s subordinate judiciary. The proposal for their elevation was scrutinized by the Supreme Court Collegium after receiving recommendations from the High Court of Karnataka’s Collegium.
The statement issued by the Supreme Court read:
“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 14th April, 2026 has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Judicial Officers as Judges of the High Court of Karnataka…”
The appointment of Smt. Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde, Smt. Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi, and Shri Mahadevappa Brungesh is expected to help address the vacancy levels at the High Court of Karnataka, which has been managing a high volume of pending litigations. The inclusion of two female judicial officers also marks a positive step toward improving gender representation in the higher judiciary.
Following this approval, the recommendations will be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice for processing, after which the formal warrants of appointment will be issued by the President of India.
