Patna: The three-judge collegium of the Supreme Court on Friday recommended the elevation of nine advocates as judges of the Patna high court.After interacting with 11 advocates and holding detailed deliberations, the collegium recommended the names of Md Nadeem Siraj, Ranjan Kumar Jha, Kumar Manish, Sanjeev Kumar, Girijesh Kumar, Alok Kumar, Raj Kumar, Rana Vikram Singh and Vikas Kumar.The development is expected to bring relief to lakhs of litigants in Bihar awaiting justice for nearly two decades. The strength of the Patna high court will increase to 46 against a sanctioned strength of 53. The court currently faces a pendency of around 2.12 lakh cases.Legal experts said the recommended advocates possess extensive experience in service, administrative and criminal laws. Coincidentally, about 80% of the 2.12 lakh pending cases pertain to these areas and have been pending for more than a decade.Advocate general P K Shahi, senior counsel Krishna Prasad Singh, Ramakant Sharma, chairman of Bihar State Bar Council, and Yogesh Chandra Verma welcomed the decision. Sharma said that after the Holi vacation, the Patna high court would witness a new dawn, with litigants hoping for speedy disposal of their long-pending cases.The court is also set to create a record when nine members of its Bar take oath as judges on a single day. According to experts, a similar record was set in the early 1990s when seven advocates were elevated together.
