On Friday, the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has recommended the name of Justice PS Dinesh Kumar, Judge, High Court of Karnataka for appointment as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
This recommendations follows the recommendation for elevation of current Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale to the Supreme Court
The Recommendations reads as under:
The office of the Chief Justice of High Court of Karnataka would be falling vacant consequent upon elevation of Mr Justice Prasanna B Varale to the Supreme Court in terms of our separate recommendation made today. Therefore, appointment to that office is required to be made.
Justice Pratinidhi Srinivasacharya Dinesh Kumar was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on 2 January 2015. He has acquired sufficient experience on the judicial and administrative side as a puisne judge of the High Court. He is due to demit office on superannuation on 24 February 2024 and will have a tenure as a Chief Justice of little over a month. He is endowed with high level of integrity, honesty and competence. He has served the High Court of Karnataka with distinction since his appointment. In view of the fact that Justice P S Dinesh Kumar, as noted above, has a short tenure, in terms of the Memorandum of Procedure, the Collegium resolves to recommend his appointment as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka, consequent upon the elevation of Mr Justice Prasanna B Varale, Chief Justice of that High Court as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
While recommending his name, the Collegium is well conscious of the fact that in the seniority of Judges of High Court of Karnataka, he is second senior-most Judge after Mr Justice Narendar G who is functioning on transfer in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and has a long tenure ahead of him.
The Collegium, therefore, resolves to recommend that Mr Justice P S Dinesh Kumar be appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka consequent upon elevation of Mr Justice Prasanna B Varale to the Supreme Court.
