NEW SUPREME COURT JUDGE APPOINTED: JUSTICE K VINOD CHANDRAN

January 13 marks an auspicious day as a new Supreme Court judge has been appointed. The man chosen for the great purpose is the current sitting Chief Justice of Patna High Court, Justice K Vinod Chandran. 

On January 7, the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy, and Abhay S. Oka, recommended the elevation of Justice Chandran as a judge of the apex court, which was cleared by the Centre within the week. The Collegium led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna expresed that during his long tenure as a judge, Justice Vinod Chandran "has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law."

The appointment was made official by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal via a post on 'X'. The post states the following "In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran, Chief Justice, Patna High Court as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India," 

Justice Chandran was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011, and elevated as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on March 29, 2023, where he has served for over a year. With more than 11 years as a High Court judge, he has gained significant experience across various fields of law. The Collegium noted that Justice Chandran ranks 13th in the combined all-India seniority of High Court judges and holds the 1st  position among judges from the Kerala High Court.

While recommending his elevation to the Supreme Court, the Collegium took into account the absence of any current representation from the Kerala High Court on the apex court’s Bench. This consideration became particularly significant following the recent retirement of Justice C.T. Ravikumar, which left the Supreme Court without a judge from Kerala for the first time in several years. The Collegium emphasized the importance of ensuring balanced regional representation in the judiciary to reflect the diverse legal traditions across the country.