New Delhi: Justice K.M. Joseph, the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, will take oath as a judge of the Supreme Court as scheduled on Tuesday amid a row with the Centre over his seniority being lowered on his elevation. The Centre on its part said it went purely by the “time tested” principle of high court seniority list. It came out with a notification last Friday on the appointment of three judges to the apex court by putting at third position the seniority of Justice K.M. Joseph.
According to apex court sources, the oath-taking ceremony of the three judges elevated to the Supreme Court — Justices Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran and K.M. Joseph — will take place as scheduled on Tuesday in the order of seniority notified by the Centre. Judges including members of the collegium comprising Justices M.B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph and A.K. Sikri met Chief Justice Dipak Misra to raise their concerns on the seniority issue concerning Justice K.M. Joseph.
The court sources said that nothing much can be done at this stage and that the concerns raised by some of the judges would be discussed after the three judges are sworn in on Tuesday. The court sources said except for Justice Ranjan Gogoi, a member of the apex court collegium who was on leave, others had “informally” deliberated on the Centre’s decision to lower the seniority of Justice K.M. Joseph.
