Jammu: The President of India on Thursday appointed Rahul Bharti and Moksha Khajuria Kazmi as the Additional Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Rahul Bharti and Moksha Khajuria Kazmi, to be Additional Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years, with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices,” read a notification issued by the Department of Justice (Appointments Division), the Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India.
With their appointment, the strength of the judges in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has gone up to 15, against its sanctioned strength of 17 judges.
“We have seventeen vacancies, out of them thirteen are permanent vacancies and four are additional vacancies (additional judges). At present, all thirteen permanent vacancies are filled; two additional judges have been appointed today. So in all, fifteen vacancies have been filled and two positions (of additional judges) are vacant,” J&K Law Secretary Achal Sethi informed Greater Kashmir.
“Only one name that is the name of senior advocate Wasim Sadiq Nargal was recommended. That was reiterated by the Supreme Court (SC) collegium also. That is pending. Another quota is that of the District Judge. With regard to that right now, I’m not aware if any name has been recommended against that quota,” Law Secretary said.
Nargal’s name was recommended by J&K HC collegium on August 24, 2017.
“Earlier names have not been even recommended. Certain names were sent but they were not recommended by the SC Collegium to the Government of India. Only one name, I suppose, is pending. The names of Moksha Qazmi and Rahul Bharati, who were appointed today by the President of India as additional judges, were actually recommended (by J&K)in March 2019. Their names were approved and recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. But the central government had returned them to the SC Collegium for reconsideration. The latter (collegium) reconsidered and reiterated their names,” Sethi informed, when asked if there was any name pending with the collegiums or awaiting approval of the Government of India.
Earlier on November 3, 2021, the Government of India had appointed two judicial officers Mohd Akram Chowdhary and Mohan Lal as judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Prior to that in December 2020, the J&K had recommended their names and in September, 2021, the SC Collegium had approved their names for elevation.
As per official statistics, in the last four years i.e., from 2018 to 2021, nine appointments of judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been made. Out of them, two appointments were made in 2018; five in 2020 and two in 2021.