After much dilly-dallying, the Centre on Friday cleared the decks for Justice Akil Kureshi’s appointment as Chief Justice of Tripura HC.

Issuing a notification, the Centre said: “The President is pleased to appoint Justice Akil Kureshi, the judge of Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.”

The notification comes in the wake of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submissions to the Supreme Court saying that Justice Kureshi’s appointment couldn’t be done owing to a few administrative formalities.

Mehta’s submissions came on the plea filed by Gujarat High Court Advocates Association (GHCAA) against the Centre’s reluctance to appoint Justice Kureshi as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

It is pertinent to note Justice Kureshi’s name was initially recommended by the SC Collegium as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court but later Collegium modified its decision and recommended his name as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.

The Collegium had modified its decision after Centre rejected its recommendation to appoint Justice Kureshi as CJ of MP High Court. But when it modified its proposal recommending Justice CJ of Tripura High Court, it was accepted by the Centre.

—India Legal Bureau