The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended three Additional Judges of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court for elevation as Permanent Judges. The decision was taken during a Collegium meeting on March 5, 2025. The judges recommended for elevation are:
- Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal
- Justice Rajesh Sekhri
- Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani
Additionally, on March 6, 2025, the Collegium recommended the appointment of Justice Harish Tandon, a Judge of the Calcutta High Court, as the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. This recommendation comes in light of the vacancy created after the retirement of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh on January 19, 2025.
Justice Harish Tandon was appointed as a Judge of the Calcutta High Court on April 13, 2010. He completed his law degree from Calcutta University in 1983 and enrolled as an advocate in 1989, practicing extensively in the Calcutta High Court.
Furthermore, the Collegium recommended the elevation of Calcutta High Court Judge, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, to the Supreme Court, which currently has two vacancies in its sanctioned strength of 34 Judges.
If the government approves his appointment, Justice Bagchi could go on to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) after the retirement of Justice K.V. Viswanathan on May 25, 2031. However, his tenure as CJI would be brief, lasting just over four months, before his retirement on October 2, 2031.
The Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Bhushan R. Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S. Oka, and Vikram Nath, selected Justice Bagchi after a detailed evaluation of multiple High Court Judges and Chief Justices who were under consideration for elevation. Justice Bagchi ranks 11th in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges, including Chief Justices.
Justice Bagchi was first appointed as a Judge of the Calcutta High Court in June 2011. He was later transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court in January 2021 before being repatriated to the Calcutta High Court in November 2021. With over 13 years of experience as a High Court Judge, he has dealt with a wide range of legal matters.
The Collegium also noted that since the retirement of Justice Altamas Kabir as CJI in 2013, no judge from the Calcutta High Court has held the position. Currently, Justice Dipankar Datta is the only Judge from the Calcutta High Court serving on the Supreme Court bench.
