The Supreme Court Collegium has resolved to reiterate its move to appoint Karnataka District Judge P Krishna Bhat as a judge of the state High Court.
The collegium had, on February 8, 2016, recommended the name of judicial officer Bhat for appointment as Judge of the Karnataka High Court but it has been stuck for 44 months over allegations of harassment levelled by a woman judicial officer.
The Centre asked to probe the allegations against Bhat on the basis of a complaint sent by the woman and after a probe conducted by the former Karnataka HC chief justice, it was found that the woman's complaint was without basis.
"On reconsideration of the above proposal, referred back by the Department of Justice, Government of India to the Chief Justice of India, the Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on October 15, 2019, has resolved to recommend that its recommendation made on August 23, 2016 and reiterated on April 6, 2017 be processed most expeditiously," a statement said.
The issue of elevating Krishna at the High Court had also become an issue within the Supreme Court judges with former senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Chelameswar writing about Centre’s interference regarding this to the then Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra.
In 2016, the then CJI TS Thakur had asked the then Karnataka High Court Chief Justice SK Mukherjee to conduct an inquiry against Bhat on certain allegations levelled by a subordinate woman judicial officer. Bhat's name was later recommended after the probe gave him a clean chit.
Justice Chelameswar’s letter was written soon after an unprecedented rebellion in the Supreme Court. On January 12, four sitting judges of the apex court – Justice Chelameswar, Justice Gogoi, Justice Kurien, and Justice Lokur – announced to the country that the administration of the Supreme Court was not in order.