The eight-month stand-off between the Supreme Court Collegium and the executive was eased a bit on Thursday (August 2) when the government agreed to the elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph to the Supreme Court.

Joseph’s name was sent by the Collegium to the government on January 10 along with the recommendation of the elevation of senior advocate Indu Malhotra to the top court bench. While agreeing to the elevation of Malhotra , the government had held back its green signal for Justice Joseph, saying there were others senior to him. This created massive heartburn on either side and it had become a rather contentious issue, from which the Supreme Court did not want to backtrack.

Yesterday’s okay has eased all that. The government also okayed the elevation of Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa High Court Chief Justice Vineet Saran to the Supreme Court.

The process of the issuance of presidential warrants for their appointments has been set in motion, according to reports.

—India Legal Bureau