SC collegium recommends Justice Prashant Mishra, senior advocate KV Vishwanathan as apex court judges

The Supreme Court of India.

The Supreme Court collegium on May 16 recommended the names of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate KV Vishwanathan as judges of the supreme court.

Justice Mishra is the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court while Vishwanathan is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court.

Pursuant to the retirement of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and MR Shah on May 14 and 15 respectively, two posts fell vacant in the Supreme Court. The newly constituted collegium, after the retirement of Justice MR Shah on May 15 met on May 16 to fill up the vacancies. Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is next in line to be the CJI, is now a full-time member of the collegium.

On Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, the resolution mentions that during his tenure of nearly twelve years as a judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Justice Mishra acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law. His judgments cover wide-ranging issues pertaining to law and justice.

According to the resolution, "Besides according representation to the State of Chhattisgarh, the appointment of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra will provide a value addition in terms of his acquired knowledge and experience. Justice Mishra is a judge with integrity."

On KV Vishwanathan, the resolution mentions that he has a sound understanding of law and is known in the legal fraternity for his integrity and as an upright senior member of the Bar.

If elevated, Vishwanathan will become the Chief Justice of India from August 2030 to May 2031. Vishwanathan, a native of Coimbatore, will be the fourth lawyer to be the CJI after Justice SM Sikri, UU Lalit and PS Narasimha.