Centre notifies appointment of 2 judicial officers as J&K and Ladakh HC judges

"In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint S/Shri (i) Sanjay Parihar and (ii) Shahzad Azeem to be Judges of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices," said a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 16th April, 2025 has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Judicial Officers, as Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh: (i) Shri Sanjay Parihar, and (ii) Shri Shahzad Azeem," said a resolution uploaded on the website of the apex court.

The recommendation for the appointment of judicial officers Parihar and Azeem was earlier made by the Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues.

As per the memorandum of procedure (MoP) governing the appointment of High Court judges, the proposal for the appointment should be initiated by the Chief Justice.

However, if the Chief Minister desires to recommend the name of any person, he should forward the same to the Chief Justice for his consideration. The Governor, as advised by the Chief Minister, should forward his recommendation along with the entire set of papers to the Union Minister of Law & Justice as early as possible, but not later than six weeks from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court.

If the comments are not received within the said time frame, it should be presumed by the Union Minister of Law & Justice that the Governor (i.e. Chief Minister) has nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly. The Union Minister of Law & Justice would consider the recommendations in the light of such other reports as may be available to the government in respect of the names under consideration. The complete material would then be forwarded to the Chief Justice of India for his advice. The Chief Justice of India would, in consultation with the two seniormost Judges of the Supreme Court, form his opinion in regard to a person to be recommended for appointment to the High Court.

After their consultations, the Chief Justice of India will, in the course of 4 weeks, send his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law & Justice.

Further, as per the MoP, as soon as the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, the Secretary of the Department of Justice will inform the Chief Justice, and a copy of such communication will be sent to the Chief Minister. He will also announce the appointment and issue the necessary notification in the Gazette of India.