New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS): The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, on Tuesday recommended the appointment of four judicial officers as Kerala High Court Judges.

The recommendation for the appointment of judicial officers K.V. Jayakumar, Muralee Krishna S., Jobin Sebastian, and P.V. Balakrishnan as HC judges was made in May this year by the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues.

The SC Collegium said that it has consulted the apex court judges conversant with the affairs of the Kerala High Court to ascertain the fitness and suitability of these candidates.

Jayakumar, who joined the judicial service in December 2012, has been working as Registrar (Vigilance) in the High Court since January 2022, said the SC Collegium, adding that "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 against his integrity".

Krishna S, who joined the judicial service in March 2014, served in various capacities in the state. "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 against his integrity," said the SC Collegium.

Sebastian joined the judicial service in March 2014 and has been working as Registrar (District Judiciary) in the Kerala High Court since April 2024. The SC Collegium said, “Two out of the three consultee-Judges have found the candidate suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court. The third consultee-Judge has not offered his comments upon the suitability of the candidate since the candidate is personally not known to him. However, the consultee-judge has stated that he does not have any negative information about the candidate."

Balakrishnan joined the judicial service in March 2014 and served in various capacities in the state. "The Collegium, therefore, resolves that the four Judicial Officers whose names are recommended above shall rank, in the appointment order, below Shri P. Krishna Kumar and their inter se seniority shall be fixed in that order," read the statement uploaded on the website of the apex court.

Further, it said that the Chief Minister and the Governor of Kerala concurred with the recommendation.