The Centre has approved the appointment of seven judicial officers as judges of the Delhi High Court, while withholding approval for one name recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. The development follows the collegium's recommendation of eight judicial officers on September 10 for elevation to the Delhi High Court. The Union government subsequently notified the appointment of seven of them, while the name of Gurvinder Pal Singh was not cleared in the latest notification. The appointments come at a time when the Delhi High Court continues to function with fewer judges than its sanctioned strength. Before the latest appointments, the court had 44 sitting judges against a sanctioned strength of 60. With seven new appointments, its working strength is expected to rise to 51.

Two Appointed As Permanent Judges

Among the seven judicial officers cleared by the Centre, Nivedita Anil Sharma and Nisha Sahay Saxena have been appointed as permanent judges of the Delhi High Court. The other five, Sanjay Sharma-I, Bharat Parashar, Dr Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt and Arun Bhardwaj, have been appointed as additional judges. The appointments cover judicial officers currently serving in different positions within the Delhi judicial system and at the Supreme Court. Arun Bhardwaj is serving as the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court, while Bharat Parashar is the Secretary General of the Supreme Court. Nisha Sahay Saxena is the Principal District and Sessions Judge of the Rohini North-West District. Sanjay Sharma-I is serving as the Principal District and Sessions Judge of the Karkardooma North-East District. Dinesh Bhatt is the Principal District Judge-cum-Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Rouse Avenue Courts.

Gurvinder Pal Singh's Appointment Remains Pending

The eighth name recommended by the Supreme Court collegium was Gurvinder Pal Singh. His appointment was not included in the Centre's latest notification. The Supreme Court collegium had recommended Singh along with the other seven judicial officers on September 10. The latest decision therefore means that seven of the eight names recommended by the collegium have received approval, while Singh's name remains pending. The notification does not, by itself, provide a detailed public explanation for why approval for Singh's name was withheld. The development brings renewed attention to the process through which recommendations made by the Supreme Court collegium are processed before appointments to constitutional courts are formally notified.

Two Recommended Officers Have Retired

The latest development also comes after changes in the status of some of the judicial officers whose names were recommended. Nivedita Anil Sharma and Dr Aditi Choudhary have since retired, according to people familiar with the development cited in the report. Their names, along with Gurvinder Pal Singh's, had earlier been recommended by the Delhi High Court collegium for elevation to the High Court. The Centre has nevertheless cleared the appointments of Sharma and Choudhary as part of the latest notification.

Delhi High Court Strength To Rise To 51

The appointment of the seven judges will increase the working strength of the Delhi High Court from 44 to 51. The court has a sanctioned strength of 60 judges, meaning that even after the latest appointments, there will still be a gap between the sanctioned and actual working strength. The expansion is significant for a court dealing with a large volume of constitutional, civil, criminal, commercial and other cases. The appointment of additional judges can also affect the distribution of cases among benches and the administrative workload of the court. However, the exact impact on the court's case management will depend on the allocation of judicial work and the individual assignments given to the newly appointed judges.

What Is The Supreme Court Collegium?

The Supreme Court Collegium is the body through which recommendations for appointments and transfers of judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are made under India's existing judicial appointment framework. For High Court appointments, recommendations involve the concerned High Court collegium before being considered through the higher judicial appointment process. In this case, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended eight judicial officers for elevation to the Delhi High Court. The Centre subsequently cleared seven names while leaving one recommendation pending.

New Judges Include Senior Judicial Officers

Several of the newly appointed judges have held senior positions in the judicial system. Arun Bhardwaj's appointment comes after his service as Registrar General of the Delhi High Court. Bharat Parashar has been serving as Secretary General of the Supreme Court. Nisha Sahay Saxena has been serving as a principal district and sessions judge, while Sanjay Sharma-I has held a similar senior district-level judicial position. Dinesh Bhatt has been working as Principal District Judge-cum-Special Judge at Rouse Avenue Courts. These appointments bring judicial officers with experience in district and administrative judicial roles into the Delhi High Court.

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One Collegium Recommendation Still Awaited

The latest Delhi High Court judges appointment notification completes seven of the eight appointments recommended by the collegium. The status of Gurvinder Pal Singh's recommendation remains separate from the seven appointments that have now been notified. The development is also relevant to the broader issue of vacancies in the Delhi High Court, which has been functioning below its sanctioned strength. With the seven appointments, the court's strength will rise to 51, leaving nine positions against the sanctioned strength of 60.

How Many Delhi High Court Judges Were Appointed?

The Centre has notified the appointment of seven judicial officers as judges of the Delhi High Court out of eight names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. Gurvinder Pal Singh's name was not cleared in the latest notification.

Who Are The Newly Appointed Delhi High Court Judges?

The seven names are Nivedita Anil Sharma, Nisha Sahay Saxena, Sanjay Sharma-I, Bharat Parashar, Dr Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt and Arun Bhardwaj. Sharma and Saxena have been appointed permanent judges, while the other five have been appointed additional judges.

Where Is The Appointment Related To?

The appointments are for the Delhi High Court in New Delhi. The court's working strength is expected to rise from 44 to 51 judges following the seven appointments.