President Droupadi Murmu Appoints Judges In Orissa, Gauhati & Kerala High Courts

President Droupadi Murmu appointed advocate Sibo Sankar Mishra and judicial officer Ananda Chandra Behera as judges of the Orissa High Court and Budi Habung as an additional judge in Gauhati High Court and justice CS Sudha as a Judge in Kerala High Court.

The announcement of their appointment was made by Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Meghwal via his X handle.

Taking to X, Arjun Ram Meghwal wrote, "In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following as Judges or Additional Judges of High Courts: I convey my best wishes to them: Advocate Sibo Sankar Mishra and judicial officer Ananda Chandra Behera have been appointed as Judges of the High Court."

Notably, the Supreme Court Collegium had last month recommended the names of advocate Sibo Sankar Mishra and judicial officer Ananda Chandra Behera for appointment as judges in the Orissa High Court.

In its resolution published on the Supreme Court website, the Collegium noted that the government provided good input on the personal and professional sides of both candidates.

With respect to advocate Mishra, the resolution noted that he has a "standing of 30 years at the bar and is an advocate-on-record in the Supreme Court for the Odisha government and is counsel for the Union of India and High Court of Orissa in the Supreme Court. He has a sizeable practice at the bar, which is reflected in his average professional income. The inputs received from the government indicate that he has a good personal and professional image, and nothing adverse has come to notice with regard to his integrity."

"Ananda Chandra Behera has served as a judicial officer in different capacities over the years. The inputs provided by the Government documents in the file indicate that he has a good personal and professional image, and nothing adverse has come to mind with regard to his integrity. Having regard to the material on record and all relevant factors, the Collegium is of the considered view that Shri Ananda Chandra Behera is suitable for being appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Orissa," the resolution read.

With respect to Budi Habung, the resolution by the Supreme Court said, "Budi Habung joined judicial service on March 31, 2010. His name has been recommended to fill up the sole service post allocated to the State of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the senior-most judicial officer of the Arunachal Pradesh Judicial Service and has served in various capacities in the state. The inputs placed by the government in the file indicate that he enjoys a good personal and professional image." (ANI)