<p>An order has finally been issued on the appointment of judicial officer P Krishna Bhat as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court, after years of wavering by the Union government.</p>.<p>The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has on Monday night issued the notification, appointing him for two years as an additional judge of the High Court.</p>.<p>"In exercise of power under Article 224 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Bhat to be an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court, for a period of two years with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," it stated.</p>.<p>The Centre has last week cleared the file on the elevation of judicial officer Bhat.</p>.<p>Born in 1960, he would have a tenure of just two years as a judge of the High Court.</p>.<p>The Centre has been sitting over the file on Bhat for quite some time. The Supreme Court Collegium had on October 15, 2019, rejected its request for reconsideration.</p>.<p>The Collegium had then asked the Centre to process “most expeditiously” the recommendation, made twice earlier for the elevation of Bhat as a judge of the Karnataka High Court.</p>.<p>The Collegium had first recommended his name way back in August 2016. It was reiterated on April 6, 2017.</p>.<p>However, the Union government still sought reconsideration of the proposal, which was seen as "interference into the appointment of judges".</p>.<p>In a hard-hitting letter to the then CJI and all judges, Justice J Chelameswar (since retired) had in March 2018 questioned the government's act of writing a letter directly to the Karnataka High Court's then chief justice Dinesh Maheshwari, now a Supreme Court judge, who had ordered an inquiry on some “old allegations” against Bhat by a woman judge.</p>.<p>He had asked the CJI to convene a full court to discuss “government's interference” in the appointment of judges to the high courts.<br /> </p>
<p>An order has finally been issued on the appointment of judicial officer P Krishna Bhat as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court, after years of wavering by the Union government.</p>.<p>The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has on Monday night issued the notification, appointing him for two years as an additional judge of the High Court.</p>.<p>"In exercise of power under Article 224 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Bhat to be an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court, for a period of two years with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," it stated.</p>.<p>The Centre has last week cleared the file on the elevation of judicial officer Bhat.</p>.<p>Born in 1960, he would have a tenure of just two years as a judge of the High Court.</p>.<p>The Centre has been sitting over the file on Bhat for quite some time. The Supreme Court Collegium had on October 15, 2019, rejected its request for reconsideration.</p>.<p>The Collegium had then asked the Centre to process “most expeditiously” the recommendation, made twice earlier for the elevation of Bhat as a judge of the Karnataka High Court.</p>.<p>The Collegium had first recommended his name way back in August 2016. It was reiterated on April 6, 2017.</p>.<p>However, the Union government still sought reconsideration of the proposal, which was seen as "interference into the appointment of judges".</p>.<p>In a hard-hitting letter to the then CJI and all judges, Justice J Chelameswar (since retired) had in March 2018 questioned the government's act of writing a letter directly to the Karnataka High Court's then chief justice Dinesh Maheshwari, now a Supreme Court judge, who had ordered an inquiry on some “old allegations” against Bhat by a woman judge.</p>.<p>He had asked the CJI to convene a full court to discuss “government's interference” in the appointment of judges to the high courts.<br /> </p>
