New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of three advocates for appointment as judges of the High Court of Gujarat. These advocates are Sanjeev Jayendra Thaker, Deeptendra Narayan Ray (also known as D.N. Ray), and Maulik Jitendra Shelat.

The Collegium, in its resolution, stated:

On 22 December 2023, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Gujarat in consultation with her two senior-most colleagues recommended the names of the above Advocates for appointment as Judges of that High Court.

The Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of Gujarat have not conveyed their views on the above recommendation. The Department of Justice has forwarded the above recommendation by invoking para 14 of the Memorandum of Procedure which provides that if the comments of the State constitutional authorities are not received within the prescribed time-frame, it should be presumed by the Minister of Law and Justice that the Governor and the Chief Minister have nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly.

In order to ascertain the suitability of the above Advocates for elevation to the High Court, we have consulted our colleagues conversant with the affairs of the High Court of Gujarat.

For the purpose of assessing the merit and suitability of the above candidates for elevation to the High Court, we have scrutinized and evaluated the material placed on record. We have also perused the observations made by the Department of Justice in the file.

Shri Sanjeev Jayendra Thaker 

Out of the four consultee-Judges, three have given positive opinion on the suitability of the candidate for appointment as a Judge of the High Court and one has offered no opinion. The inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that the candidate enjoys a good personal and professional image and that nothing adverse has come to notice with regard to his integrity. He practises predominantly in the City Civil & Sessions Court, Family Court, Small Causes Court, Ahmedabad and also in District Courts of the State. His experience of 31 years at the Bar in handling cases at the trial level would be very useful, particularly in dealing with civil, commercial and arbitration cases in the High Court of Gujarat. Bearing in mind all the relevant facts and circumstances, the Collegium is of the considered view that the candidate is fit and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court.

Deeptendra Narayan Ray @ D N Ray

We have considered the views of the consultee-Judges on the suitability of the candidate. The inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that the candidate enjoys a good personal and professional image and that nothing adverse has come to notice with regard to his integrity. The candidate regularly practises before the Supreme Court and has recently been designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court. He has extensive practice which is reflected in his professional income of Rs. 83.29 lakhs and 58 reported judgments delivered in the cases in which he has appeared. Bearing in mind all the relevant facts and circumstances, the Collegium is of the considered view that the candidate is fit and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court.

Shri Maulik Jitendra Shelat

While three consultee-Judges have given positive opinion on the suitability of the candidate for appointment as a Judge of the High Court, one consultee-Judge has stated that he has not seen the performance of the candidate personally. The inputs provided by the Department of Justice in the file indicate that the candidate enjoys a good personal and professional image and that nothing adverse has come to notice about his integrity. Bearing in mind all the relevant facts and circumstances, the Collegium is of the considered view that the candidate is fit and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court.

In view of the above, the Collegium resolves to recommend that S/Shri (i) Sanjeev Jayendra Thaker, (ii) Deeptendra Narayan Ray @ D N Ray, and (iii) Maulik Jitendra Shelat, Advocates, be appointed as Judges of the High Court of Gujarat. Their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existing practice. DeshGujarat.