CHENNAI: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, presently serving as a Kerala High Court Judge (parent High Court – Madhya Pradesh), as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava on March 5.
The recommendation was made during the Supreme Court Collegium meeting on February 26.
The collegium also made a policy decision aimed at strengthening the efficiency and quality of judicial administration. Under the policy, a judge proposed to be appointed as Chief Justice may be transferred to the concerned High Court well in advance, preferably about two months before the vacancy arises, to enable him to familiarise with the functioning and administrative requirements of the High Court before assuming charge. However, this policy is not applicable in the case of Dharmadhikari, as the incumbent is retiring on March 5.
Interestingly, Dharmadhikari was part of the Kerala High Court bench that paved the way for the release of 'The Kerala Story2-Goes Beyond' film by staying the single judge order which had put on hold the movie's screening by 15 days.