The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of Justices M.R. Shah, Ajay Rastogi, Hemant Gupta and R. Subhash Reddy for elevation as apex court judges. The recommendations come as Justices Kurian Joseph and M.B Lokur are set to retire in November and December respectively. Additionally, Justice A.K. Sikri is also set to retire in March. The SC collogium is headed by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and includes Justices M.B. Lokur, Joseph, Sikri and justice S.A. Bobde.

Justice Gupta has been heading the Madhya Pradesh high court since March 2017. He has previously served as the acting chief justice of the Patna High Court in 2016 and a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court in 2002.

Justice Reddy – currently serving as the Gujarat high court chief justice began his career as an advocate. In December 2002, he was elevated as an additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh high court and was sworn in as its permanent judge in 2004. In February 2016, he was elevated to his current post.

Justice Rastogi has served as the chief justice of Tripura high court since March. He became a judge of the Rajasthan high court in September 2004 and has briefly served as the acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan high court.

Patna high court chief justice Shah was recently transferred from the Gujarat high court. He has served as an additional standing counsel for the Central government and has also appeared for the CBI.

—India Legal Bureau