7 Additional Judges Take Oath As Permanent Judges Of Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has formally sworn in seven additional judges as permanent judges. The oath ceremony was conducted by Chief Justice Justice Soumen Sen, marking an important development in the court’s judicial strength.

The judges who have been appointed as permanent judges are Mullappally Abdul Aziz Abdul Hakhim, Syam Kumar Vadakke Mudavakkat, Harisankar Vijayan Menon, Manu Sreedharan Nair, Easwaran Subramani, Manoj Pulamby Madhavan and Marakkaparambil Bhargavan Snehalatha.

Their appointments were officially notified by the Government of India on March 2. All seven judges had earlier been serving as additional judges of the High Court before being elevated to permanent positions.

Justice M.A. Abdul Hakhim enrolled as an advocate in March 1992. Over the years, he has appeared before the Supreme Court, the Kerala High Court, and various subordinate courts and tribunals in the State. He was sworn in as an additional judge of the High Court on March 22, 2024.

Justice Syam Kumar V.M., who enrolled as an advocate on January 7, 1996, has extensive experience in Admiralty and Shipping law, Commercial law and Constitutional law. He also took oath as an additional judge on March 22, 2024.

Justice Harisankar V. Menon began his legal career after enrolling as an advocate on December 31, 1997. His practice primarily focused on matters related to direct and indirect taxation before his elevation to the bench as an additional judge in March 2024.

Justice Manu S. commenced practice in the Kerala High Court in December 1998. He served as Senior Central Government Standing Counsel for the Lakshadweep Administration from 2018 to 2021. Later, he was appointed as Assistant Solicitor General of India for the Kerala High Court in 2021 and redesignated as Deputy Solicitor General of India in 2022.

Justice Easwaran S., who enrolled as an advocate on April 5, 1999, handled cases involving banking law, insurance law, service matters relating to public institutions, civil disputes, company cases and insolvency proceedings. He also took oath as an additional judge in March 2024.

Justice Manoj P.M. served as Government Pleader during two separate tenures between 2010–2011 and 2016–2021. He later joined the High Court bench as an additional judge in March 2024.

Justice M.B. Snehalatha has a long career in the judiciary. She enrolled as an advocate in December 1987 and practiced in courts at Kochi. In 1995, she joined the Kerala Judicial Service as a Munsiff-Magistrate and was promoted as District Judge in 2014. She was sworn in as an additional judge of the High Court on April 25, 2024.

With these appointments, the Kerala High Court strengthens its bench with judges who bring varied experience from litigation, government law offices and the judicial service.