SC Collegium Reiterates Recommendation To Elevate Judicial Officer Vishnukumar Prabhudas Patel As Gujarat HC Judge

The Supreme Court collegium has reiterated its recommendation for appointment of Judicial Officer Vishnukumar Prabhudas Patel as a judge of Gujarat High Court.

Mr. Patel’s name had been recommended by the collegium of the Gujarat High Court on December 1, 2016, along with names of other Advocates and Judicial Officers. The proposal in respect of one Advocate and four Judicial Officers was approved by the Supreme Court collegium on April 19 this year.

While other recommendees were appointed by the government as judges of the high court, the proposal for Mr. Patel’s elevation was withheld and referred back to the CJI for reconsideration.

The collegium comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice MB Lokur and Justice AK Sikri, however, reiterated the proposal, resolving,

“We have carefully scrutinized the material placed on record including the reasons recorded in the file seeking reconsideration of the proposal for elevation of Shri Vishnukumar Prabhudas Patel. Since the Collegium does not find any fresh material in the file referred back to it for reconsideration of the above proposal, the Collegium is of the considered opinion that Shri Vishnukumar Prabhudas Patel deserves to be elevated to the High Court Bench.”

The proposal was recommended to be processed expeditiously.