Chennai: The Union government has urged the Madras High Court collegium to ensure greater social diversity in judicial appointments by including candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities, and women. Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a letter to the Chief Justice of Madras High Court, stressed the importance of providing adequate representation to these sections of society in the higher judiciary.
The move comes after the Supreme Court collegium recently returned a list of nine advocates recommended by the Madras High Court collegium for elevation as judges, directing fresh consideration. The names earlier forwarded by the then Chief Justice of Madras High Court on April 29 included Krishnaswamy Govindarajan, E V Chandru alias E Chandrasekaran, P V Balasubramaniam, N C Ashok Kumar, R Gandhi, Hasan Mohamed Jinnah, M P Senthil, J Chandra Sundar Sashikumar, and E Manoharan.
By seeking a more inclusive approach, the Centre emphasized that judicial diversity would not only strengthen public confidence in the judiciary but also ensure fair representation of different social groups in positions of authority.
