Srinagar: President of India Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh as new Chief Justice of J&K and Ladakh High Court on Sunday, two months after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended him for the coveted post.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, Judge of the Gauhati High Court to be Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” reads a notification issued by Ministry of Law and Justice Department, Government of India.
Justice Singh, presently posted at Gauhati High Court, was recommended to be the Chief Justice of J&K by a 6-member Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on December 13 last year.
He replaces Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey, who demitted office on superannuation on December 7 last year.
Born on March 1, 1963, at Imphal, Manipur, to (Late) Justice N Ibotombi Singh of the Gauhati High Court, who had also served as the first Advocate General of Manipur and N Gomati Devi, Justice N Kotiswar Singh completed schooling from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, West Bengal and Pre University Course in Science from St Anthony’s College, Shillong.
Justice Singh graduated from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University with B A (Honours) in Political Science in 1983 and obtained his Degree in Law (LLB) from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University in 1986.
Justice Singh was enrolled as an Advocate in 1986.
He also attended the six months’ “Commonwealth Young Lawyers’ Course” under the University of London in 1992.
After a brief practice in the Supreme Court of India, Justice Singh shifted practice under the Gauhati High Court, the then common High Court of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
Justice Singh also practiced in the Central Administrative Tribunal, Guwahati and the Subordinate Courts in Manipur.
Justice Singh served as the Advocate General of the State of Manipur from 3 November 2007 till elevation to the Bench.
He was sworn in as an Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011 and as a Judge of the Gauhati High Court on November 7, 2012.
Justice Singh was appointed as a Judge of the Manipur High Court upon its creation with effect from March 23, 2013, and was appointed to perform the duties of the office of Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court with effect from September 21, 2020, to January 9, 2021, from May 9, 2022 to June 22, 2022, and January 10 this year till date.
