New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, on Thursday recommended the appointment of seven Additional Judges as Permanent Judges in the Kerala High Court.

“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 12th February, 2026 has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Additional Judges as Permanent Judges in the High Court of Kerala: (i) Shri Justice Abdul Hakhim Mullappally Abdul Aziz, (ii) Shri Justice Syam Kumar Vadakke Mudavakkat, (iii) Shri Justice Harisankar Vijayan Menon, (iv) Shri Justice Manu Sreedharan Nair, (v) Shri Justice Easwaran Subramani, (vi) Shri Justice Manoj Pulamby Madhavan, and (vii) Smt. Justice Marakkaparambil Bhargavan Snehalatha,” said a statement uploaded on the official website of the apex court.

The Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts are appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.

While recommending the appointment of an Additional Judge as a Permanent Judge, the Chief Justice of the High Court is required to furnish detailed statistics, including month-wise disposal of cases and judgments delivered by the judge concerned, as well as the number of cases reported in law journals, duly certified by them.

The data must also include information regarding the total number of working days, the number of days the judge actually attended court, and the days of absence during the relevant period for which disposal statistics are submitted.

Additional Judges are appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 224 of the Constitution. As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) governing the appointment of High Court judges, the Chief Justice of a High Court should not recommend the appointment of an Additional Judge when a vacancy for a Permanent Judge is available.

–IANS

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