SC Collegium asks Centre to 'most expeditiously' process elevation of P Krishna Bhat as HC judge

The Supreme Court Collegium has asked the Centre to process "most expeditiously" P Krishna Bhat's elevation as the Karnataka High Court judge which was stalled twice by the government, and created a flutter after the then apex court judge Justice J Chelameswar had written a letter questioning the delay.

Justice (retd) Chelameswar, who along with three other top court judges held an unprecedented press conference on January 12 last year regarding functioning of the apex court, had in March 2018 shot off a letter to then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and other judges questioning Bhat's non-elevation despite the Collegium's recommendation and reiteration.

Justice Chelameswar, who retired in June last year, had expressed concern over the executive directly asking the then Karnataka Chief Justice to conduct an inquiry against Bhat on certain allegations levelled against him by a subordinate woman judicial officer.

He said the Collegium had recommended Bhat's name twice for elevation to the Centre after the inquiry had given him a clean chit. The government had stalled the elevation in 2016 and 2017.

A statement issued on the apex court website said that the Collegium held a meeting this week to recommend again the name of Bhat for elevation to the Karnataka High Court.

"High Court Collegium on February 8, 2016 had, inter alia, recommended the name of P Krishna Bhat, Judicial Officer, for appointment as Judge of the Karnataka High Court," the statement said.

"On reconsideration of the above proposal, referred back by the Department of Justice, Government of India to the Chief Justice of India, the Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on October 15, 2019, has resolved to recommend that its recommendation made on August 23, 2016 and reiterated on April 6, 2017 be processed most expeditiously," it said.

In 2016, then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur had asked then High Court chief justice to hold an inquiry against Bhat on certain allegations levelled by the woman judicial officer.