Supreme Court Collegium Approves Elevation of Nineteen Candidates to the Bench of the Madras High Court
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Dated: 19 May 2026-In a significant development pertaining to the augmentation of judicial strength in one of India’s oldest and most esteemed High Courts, the Supreme Court Collegium has formally resolved to approve the elevation of nine Judicial Officers and ten Advocates to the position of Judge of the Madras High Court.
The said resolution was adopted at a duly convened meeting of the Collegium held on 18 May 2026.
Notably, the list of recommended candidates includes the incumbent Registrar General of the Madras High Court, underscoring the Collegium’s recognition of distinguished administrative and judicial service rendered within the court’s own institutional framework.
Background and Procedural History
The candidates whose names have now received the Collegium’s imprimatur were initially proposed across multiple deliberative rounds conducted on 4 November, 21 November, 7 December, and 10 December of the preceding year.
The staggered nature of the proposals reflects the Collegium’s rigorous and consultative approach to the evaluation of candidates, involving assessment of their professional competence, judicial temperament, integrity, and suitability for appointment to a constitutional court.
Judicial Officers Approved for Elevation:
The following Judicial Officers, drawn from the subordinate judiciary of Tamil Nadu, have been recommended for appointment as Judges of the Madras High Court:
- Dr. P. Murugan
- Mrs. M. D. Sumathi
- Mrs. S. Alli
- Mrs. C. Thirumagal Chandrasekar
- Shri Dharmalingam Lingeswaran
- Shri Karthikeyan Balathandayutham
- Shri Shanmugam Karthikeyan
- Shri Baluchamy Murugesan
- Shri N. Gunasekaran
Advocates Approved for Elevation:
The following members of the Bar have been recommended for appointment as Judges of the Madras High Court:
- Shri Natarajan Ramesh
- Shri G. K. Muthukumaar
- Shri Ramakrishnan Rajesh Vivekananthan
- Shri Sankaranarayanan Raveekumar
- Shri Nagarajan Dilip Kumar
- Shri Ellappan Manoharan
- Shri Krishnaswamy Govindarajan
- Shri Rajnish Pathiyil
- Shri K. Appadurai @ Kandavel Appadurai
- Mrs. Ramasamy Anitha
Constitutional and Procedural Framework
The appointment of Judges to the High Courts is governed by Article 217 of the Constitution of India, which mandates that every such appointment shall be made by the President of India by warrant under the Hand and Seal of the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the concerned State, and, in the case of advocates, the Chief Justice of the High Court to which the appointment relates.
The Collegium system, as evolved through the landmark constitutional decisions in the Second Judges Case (1993) and the Third Judges Case (1998), vests the primacy of judicial appointments in the Supreme Court Collegium, comprising the Chief Justice of India and the four most senior Judges of the Supreme Court.
Upon transmission of the Collegium’s resolution to the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, the formal process of appointment will be set in motion, culminating in the issuance of warrants of appointment by the President of India.
The appointments, once effectuated, will contribute substantially to addressing existing vacancies and reinforcing the institutional capacity of the Madras High Court to discharge its constitutional mandate.
