Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Appointment of Advocate KV Arvind as Judge of Karnataka High Court

Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Appointment of Advocate KV Arvind as Judge of Karnataka High Court

The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India CJI DY Chandrachud recommended for elevation of Advocate Kurubarahalli Venkataramareddy Aravind to Karnataka High Court.

The Chief Minister and the Governor of Karnataka concurred in the recommendation for elevation of Shri K V Aravind.

The High Court Collegium had recommended Aravind's candidature in August 2022.

The Supreme Court Collegium noted that Aravind has a standing of nearly 23 years at the Bar, and has appeared in cases resulting in 567 reported judgments.

On 17 January 2023, the Supreme Court Collegium deferred its decision.

In terms of the Memorandum of Procedure, the Judges of the Supreme Court conversant with the affairs of the Karnataka High Court were consulted to ascertain the fitness and suitability of Shri K V Aravind for elevation to the High Court.

For the purpose of assessing the merit and suitability of the above-named candidate for elevation to the High Court, the Collegium scrutinized and evaluated the material placed on record. The Collegium considered the observations of the Department of Justice in the file.

The inputs of the Department of Justice were also considered to assess the merit of the candidate, and nothing adverse was found as regards his integrity or character.

The Collegium found Advocate Aravind to be ‘fit and suitable’ for the position.

Pertinently, the resolution highlighted advocate Aravind's experience in taxation law and said that the Karnataka High Court requires domain expertise in that regard given the proliferation of such matters.

“There is a considerable amount of tax litigation before the Karnataka High Court. There is a need for specialized judges having domain experience in this branch of law. Tax law is integrally connected with various other branches of law including commercial, corporate and personal law. Keeping in view the above aspects and on considering the proposal for his elevation, the Collegium is of the considered opinion that Shri Kurubarahalli Venkataramareddy Aravind is fit and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court of Karnataka.”