Ukhrul: After the Supreme Court Collegium recommendation for appointments on July 11, the Ministry of Law and Justice has announced the appointment of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court and Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan of the Madras High Court as judges of the Supreme Court.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” the government notification stated on Tuesday.
Born on March 1, 1963, in Imphal, Manipur, Justice Singh is the son of the late Justice N Ibotombi Singh of the Gauhati High Court and N Gomati Devi. He began his legal career by briefly practicing before the Supreme Court of India before moving to the Gauhati High Court, where he was appointed Senior Advocate in 2008. He became an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court in 2011 and a permanent judge in 2012. Following the creation of the Manipur High Court in 2013, he served as a judge there before transferring back to the Gauhati High Court in 2018 and subsequently being elevated to Chief Justice.
Justice N Kotiswar Singh’s appointment continues a legacy of groundbreaking judicial appointments from the Northeast. He follows in the footsteps of Justice H K Sema, a Sumi Naga from Nagaland, the first non-Assamese and non-Bengali from the Northeast to serve as a judge on the Supreme Court from 2002 to 2008. Justice H K Sema was also a former Chief Justice of the High Courts of Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat.
In addition to Justice H K Sema, the Northeast has produced other notable judicial pioneers. W A Shishak holds the distinction of being the first tribal judge of an Indian High Court. He was also the first individual from Manipur to be elevated to the position of Chief Justice of a High Court. When the new state of Chhattisgarh was formed on November 1, 2000, Justice Shishak became its first Chief Justice, serving from December 5, 2000, until January 15, 2002.