Gauhati High Court Chief Justice A.S. Bopanna and Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose

New Delhi:  The Centre has asked the Supreme Court Collegium to reconsider the names of Gauhati High Court (HC) Chief Justice A.S. Bopanna and Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court.

The five-member Collegium — Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S.A. Bobde, N.V. Ramana, Arun Mishra and R.F. Nariman informally met yesterday afternoon to examine the Centre’s objections to the Collegium’s Apr. 12 recommendation to appoint Justices Bose (parent HC Calcutta) and Bopanna (parent HC Karnataka) as SC Judges.

Supreme Court sources said that the Centre had not raised any objection relating to the integrity of the two Chief Justices and the reservations mainly centred on their lack of seniority in the All-India Judges’ list.

Since the Collegium had already taken into account their seniority in the All-India Judges list while recommending them, sources said that their names were likely to be reiterated when the Collegium meets formally later this week. At present, the SC has 27 Judges, including the CJI, against the sanctioned strength of 31 Judges.

Justice Bopanna, who was appointed a Karnataka HC Judge on Jan. 6, 2006 and elevated as Gauhati High Court Chief Justice on Oct. 29 last year, stood at 36 in the seniority list.

The Collegium’s recommendation on Apr. 12 had said, “While recommending names of Justice Bose and Justice Bopanna, the Collegium has taken into consideration, apart from their merit and integrity, combined seniority on all-India basis of Chief Justices and senior Judges of HCs. The Collegium has kept in mind desirability of giving due representation on the Bench of SC, as far as possible, to all HCs.”

Justice Bopanna was born in 1959 and enrolled as an advocate on Nov. 21, 1984, practised in civil, constitutional, company and service matters in the High Court as well as the Civil and Labour Courts. He also worked as a Legal Advisor to Central Public Sector Undertakings and worked as Additional Central Government Standing Counsel from 1999 to 2005.

Justice Bopanna was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on Jan. 6, 2006 and became a permanent Judge on Jan. 3, 2007. He is the son of late Ajjikuttira N. Somaiah of Pollibetta, Kodagu.