THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Acting Chief Justice of Kerala High Court, Justice Alexander Thomas will be the new chairperson of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC).

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has approved the recommendation to appoint Justice Thomas as the new head of the rights panel, a Commission statement said here on Wednesday.

A high-level committee, comprising the Chief Minister, the Speaker and the Opposition leader, unanimously recommended the name of Thomas to the Governor for the top post, it said.

Thomas, who had served as a judge in the Kerala High Court from 2014 to 2023, was also the acting Chief Justice in July, 2023.

An expert in Constitutional, criminal, civil, labour, service and company laws, he has settled over 25,000 cases in his capacity as the High Court judge, it said.

During his years-long career, Justice Alexander Thomas also acted as the president of Kerala Judicial Academy and Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre and as the executive chairman of Kerala Legal Services Authority and the Indian Law Institute's Kerala unit, the statement added.