Centre appoints Chief Justice for Manipur High Court after three months delay

The Central Government on October 16 has, at long last, notified the appointment of Justice Siddharth Mridul, a distinguished judge from the Delhi High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court. This appointment comes after a prolonged three-month wait following the recommendation by the Supreme Court collegium on July 6.

Manipur, that has been struggling with violent ethnic conflicts since May, has faced an administrative void with no regular Chief Justice since February 4. This vacancy occurred after the former Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar was elevated to the Supreme Court. In the absence of a permanent appointment, Justice MV Muralidaran, the senior-most judge of the Manipur High Court, had been dutifully serving as the Acting Chief Justice.

The delay in Justice Mridul's appointment drew the attention of the Supreme Court, with concerns raised during a hearing on September 27. The bench, presided over by Justice SK Kaul, expressed its apprehension about the slow processing of collegium recommendations by the Central Government. Notably, the Court acknowledged the sensitivity of the situation in Manipur, emphasizing the need for swift resolution.

The Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, assured the Court last week that the notification for Justice Mridul's appointment as Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court would be issued without further delay.

In a related development, the Supreme Court collegium recently recommended the transfer of Justice MV Muralidaran, who has been overseeing the responsibilities of the Acting Chief Justice in Manipur, to the Calcutta High Court.