The Centre has cleared the appointment of seven judicial officers as judges of the Delhi High Court, while withholding approval for one of the eight names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium.
The collegium had recommended Nivedita Anil Sharma, Nisha Sahay Saxena, Sanjay Sharma-I, Bharat Parashar, Dr Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt, Arun Bhardwaj and Gurvinder Pal Singh on September 10.
The appointments were notified on Saturday through a notification shared by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Gurvinder Pal Singh's name, however, was not included in the approved appointments.
Two appointed permanent judges
Nivedita Anil Sharma and Nisha Sahay Saxena have been appointed as permanent judges of the Delhi High Court.
Sanjay Sharma-I, Bharat Parashar, Dr Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt and Arun Bhardwaj have been appointed as additional judges.
Bhardwaj is currently the registrar general of the Delhi High Court, while Parashar serves as secretary general of the Supreme Court.
Saxena is the principal district and sessions judge of the Rohini North-West District. Sharma-I is the principal district and sessions judge of the Karkardooma North-East District.
Bhatt serves as principal district judge-cum-special judge (PC Act) (CBI) at Rouse Avenue Courts.
Two recommended officers have retired
Nivedita Anil Sharma and Dr Choudhary have retired from judicial service. People familiar with the development said the Delhi High Court collegium had earlier recommended their elevation along with Gurvinder Pal Singh.
The Centre's decision means seven of the eight names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium have now received approval.
Delhi HC strength rises to 51 judges
With the seven appointments, the Delhi High Court's working strength will increase from 44 to 51 judges.
The sanctioned strength of the High Court is 60 judges, leaving nine positions vacant even after the latest appointments.
The appointments come as courts in Delhi continue to face a significant workload. The Department of Justice has also highlighted the need for vacancies in the judiciary to be filled on priority.