New Delhi: Advocate Shwetasree Majumdar, the intellectual property (IP) expert whose name was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium in August last year, for judgeship to the Delhi High Court, has now withdrawn her consent for appointment, after the Centre’s inaction and inordinate delay in clearing her file, ThePrint has learnt.
Majumdar confirmed to ThePrint that she has indeed withdrawn her nomination, for reasons she cannot disclose at the moment.
Although the Delhi HC Collegium earlier recommended her name alongside that of Justice Tejas Karia of the high court, prior to the SC Collegium recommendation, the latter’s appointment as a judge was notified by the Centre in February, this year, but Majumdar’s was not.
Terming the situation as a shameful one, senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose said, “Shwetasree has withdrawn her consent. She was a self-made first generation lawyer from NLS, Bangalore, with an enviable practice and sector expertise in Intellectual Property Rights law. Unfortunately those who egged her on to agree to judgeship did not fight for her or make any effort to spare her of humiliation! After this I don’t think any NLU graduate with a decent standing will ever agree to judgeship!”
Majumdar’s is not the only name the Centre has failed to notify after the SC Collegium formally recommended it. Advocate Saurabh Kirpal, who is open about his non-heterosexual orientation, also met with the same fate.
After a spate of intense virtual interactions and in-person interviews spanning the course of two days, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai this week recommended the appointment of 39 individuals as judges across nine high courts.
The recommendations were made on 1 and 2 July, from a pool of candidates consisting of judicial officers and advocates.
Notably, among these names, three were approved for appointment to the Delhi High Court. The names of judicial officers Vinod Kumar, Madhu Jain, and Shail Jain, were approved as part of this proposal.
In the case of Majumdar, despite the Supreme Court Collegium, led by then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud having recommended her name on 21 August last year, the central government has yet to approve her appointment.
Meanwhile, other advocates whose names were recommended alongside hers, including Ajay Digpaul, Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, were sworn in as judges of the Delhi HC in January this year.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
It is injustice to young advocate. Kapil Sibal/Singhvi shall file PIl before honble Supreme Court or ICJ.