SC Collegium aproves two names for HC judgeship

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday approved the proposal for appointment of two judicial officers as judges of Delhi High Court.
The collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices BR Gavai and Suryakant, held a meeting on Wednesday and recommended the names, according to the resolution.
"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on Feb 5, 2025, approved the proposal for the appointment of the following judicial officers as judges of the High Court of Delhi — Renu Bhatnagar and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta," the collegium statement said.
TOI has learnt that the SC Sollegium interviewed all 7 candidates on Wednesday itself to judge their suitability for elevation to HC. The 7 were recommended earlier by the Delhi HV chief justice in consultation with his two senior most judges.
Bhatnagar is serving as the principal district and sessions judge at the Karkardooma Courts. Earlier, she had headed the Saket Courts Complex. She has served in almost all jurisdictions — Civil, Criminal, Labour Laws, and Family Courts at various court complexes such as Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Dwarka, and Saket Courts.
Rajneesh Kumar Gupta is posted as the principal district and sessions judge (south-east) district at the Saket Courts. He joined the Delhi judicial service in 1992 and was promoted to the Delhi Higher Judicial Service cadre in 2006.
If the names are cleared by central govt, the strength of the Delhi High Court will increase to 40, against the sanctioned strength of 60.
Last month, the Centre cleared the names of two advocates for elevation to the high court, several months after the collegium recommended them for elevation in Aug 2024.