SC Collegium recommends elevation of two judicial officers of Tripura as judges of High Court

In a significant decision, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, has recommended the appointment of two judicial officers as judges of the High Court of Tripura.

The recommendation for appointment of judicial officers including present Law secretary of Tripura government Biswajit Palit and  the incumbent director of Tripura Judicial Academy, Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha as HC judges was made on December 1 last year by the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Tripura in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues.

The SC Collegium through a statement said that it has consulted "colleagues" who are conversant with the affairs of the High Court of Tripura to ascertain suitability of these two names. It said that judicial officer Palit is functioning as Legal Remembrancer and Secretary in the Law Department of Tripura, adding that consultee-judges have recommended his appointment and no input adverse to his reputation or integrity was placed by the Centre on the file.

In relation to judicial officer Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha, one of the consultee-judges has expressed the view that the officer may be considered at a later stage, while the other consultee-judge has not offered any view, read the statement issued by the Collegium.

The Collegium said that it has also taken due note of the report of the Judgment Assessment Committee and finds him as a suitable candidate for appointment as a judge of the High Court.

"Views of the Chief Minister and the Governor for the State of Tripura on the above recommendation have not been placed in the file," read the statement uploaded on the website of the apex court on Wednesday.

The Union government and the department of Justice forwarded the recommendation in terms of para 14 of the Memorandum of Procedure, which provides that if the comments of the state's constitutional authorities are not received within a period of six weeks from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court, it should be presumed that the Governor and Chief Minister have nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly.

"We have also taken note of the fact that the above proposal involves non-recommendation of senior judicial officers. Cogent reasons have been recorded by the Collegium of the High Court for not recommending their names. We are, therefore, in agreement with the Collegium of the High Court for not recommending them," said SC Collegium.

"The Collegium resolves to recommend that S/Shri (i) Biswajit Palit and (ii) Sabyasachi Datta Purkayastha, Judicial Officers, be appointed as judges of the High Court of Tripura. Their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existing practice," read the statement issued by the Collegium.