Karnataka judicial officer made HC judge 4 yrs after SC collegium recommendation

Bengaluru: Four years after a Supreme Court collegium recommended it first and reiterated it thrice later, the Union government on Monday notified the appointment of a Karnataka subordinate judiciary officer as an additional judge of the state high court.

A Union Law Ministry notification said judicial officer P K Bhat has been appointed as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court for two years.

Additional judges are usually appointed for two years before bring elevated as permanent judges.

The SC collegium had first recommended Bhat’s name for appointment as a high court judge in 2016.

It had subsequently reiterated its recommendation thrice, the last time being in October 2019.

The apex court collegium had to reiterate its recommendation after the government returned the first one for reconsideration, referring to a woman’s complaint of alleged sexual harassment against the judicial officer.

Later, the government had told the collegium that the matter was serious and sensitive which demanded a “fair and proper inquiry”.

An inquiry committee of the Karnataka High Court looked into the allegations then.

In October 2019, the collegium reiterated its recommendation for the third time when the government acceded to it.