Imphal: The Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.
A notification issued in the Gazette of India states: “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, to be a judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.”
Notably, Justice Kotiswar is the first Meitei (Manipuri) to be appointed to the highest court in the country.
Born on March 1, 1963, in Uripok, Imphal, Kotiswar completed his schooling at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, graduated from Kirori Mal College in 1983, and earned his LLB from Delhi University in 1986.
His father, N. Ibotombi Singh, was a former Judge of the Gauhati High Court and the first Advocate General of Manipur.
Justice Kotiswar Singh’s career milestones include being appointed Advocate General of Manipur on November 3, 2007, becoming an Additional Judge of Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011, and being elevated to Permanent Judge on November 7, 2012. He served as a Judge of Manipur High Court upon its creation on March 23, 2013, and as Acting Chief Justice of Manipur High Court from July 1, 2017, to February 8, 2018, and again from February 23, 2018, to May 18, 2018.
He was transferred to the Gauhati High Court on October 11, 2018, serving as Acting Chief Justice from September 21, 2020, to January 9, 2021, from May 9, 2022, to June 22, 2022, and again from January 12, 2022, to February 14, 2022. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on February 15, 2023.
The Collegium noted that Justice N. Kotiswar Singh has an impeccable record, both judicially and administratively, as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Justice R. MahadevanÂ
Justice R. Mahadevan Justice R Mahadevan is a Judge of the Madras High Court and is presently its Acting Chief Justice. Being conversant with the work of Justice Mahadevan on the judicial side and as a senior High Court Judge, the Collegium believed that he is eminently suitable for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
The Collegium had observed that Justice Mahadevan belongs to a backward community from the State of Tamil Nadu and his appointment to the Supreme Court will bring diversity to the Bench.
