In its statement, the SC Collegium had considered the fact that among the High Court Judges, Justice Varale is the senior-most Judge belonging to a Scheduled Caste and the only Chief Justice belonging to a Scheduled Caste among the Chief Justices of High Courts across the country.
He stands at Sl No.6 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges. In the seniority of Judges of the High Court of Bombay, he is the senior-most Judge.
The Collegium led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed that the judgments authored by him deal with variety of issues in every field of law. “He is a competent judge with unimpeachable conduct and integrity and has throughout maintained high standard of professional ethics”, the five-member collegium recorded in the resolution.
Before his elevation as a Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2008, he practised at the Bar for over 23 years in civil, criminal, labour and administrative law matters in District and Sessions Court and in Constitutional matters at the High Court Bench at Aurangabad. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court in October 2022.
The recommendation is made towards the vacancy which arose in the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice SK Kaul last month.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose are the other members of the Collegium.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
