New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium had recommended the elevation of Justice Akil Kureshi as chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in May. But the Narendra Modi government has gone ahead and appointed Justice Ravi Shankar Jha as the acting chief justice of the high court even as it keeps the collegium’s recommendation pending.
The order was issued Thursday by the Ministry of Law and Justice. The current chief justice of the MP High Court, S.K. Seth, is due to retire on 9 June.
The development comes days after Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he would no longer act as “a post office”.
“We will try to fast-track judicial appointments, obviously with the consultation of the Honourable Supreme Court. We will work as a team. But I would like to say with great humility that as law minister, I will not be a post office. The law minister and the law ministry have a role as a stakeholder, obviously giving due respect to the collegium system,” Prasad told reporters after taking charge.
Spotlight back on Justice Kureshi
Justice Kureshi is the senior-most judge from the Gujarat High Court, but is currently serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court after his transfer in November last year.
Last year, confusion prevailed when Justice A.S. Dave, who is junior to Kureshi, was set to be appointed the acting chief justice of the Gujarat High Court when Justice Subhash Reddy was elevated to the Supreme Court. Kureshi was transferred to the Bombay High Court at the same time, leading to protests from the Gujarat Bar.
The Bar had alleged that Justice Kureshi was being transferred from the Gujarat High Court since the Modi government disliked him. The judge had delivered two major verdicts in the high court in matters pertaining to PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah between 2010 and 2011.
Eventually, Justice Kureshi served as acting chief justice of the Gujarat High Court for a short period, until he assumed his duties at the Bombay High Court.
Justice Kureshi had started his practice in 1983 after obtaining an LL.B. degree. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Gujarat High Court in March 2004, and was confirmed as a permanent judge in 2005.
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