The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, has cleared fresh appointments to the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka High Courts.

In its meeting held on September 15, the Collegium approved the elevation of three judicial officers — Geetha Kadaba Bharatharaja Setty, Muralidhara Pai Borkatte, and Tyagaraja Narayan Inavally — as Judges of the Karnataka High Court.

For the Himachal Pradesh High Court, the Collegium recommended the names of advocates Jiya Lal Bhardwaj and Romesh Verma for appointment as judges. 

“The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on 15th September, 2025, has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Advocates as Judges of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh: (i) Shri Jiya Lal Bhardwaj, and (ii) Shri Romesh Verma,” said an official statement.

As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) governing judicial appointments, proposals are initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court. Any recommendation by the Chief Minister is routed through the Chief Justice before being sent to the Governor, who forwards it to the Union Law Ministry. The Centre then examines the proposal and inputs before forwarding it to the CJI, who finalises the recommendation in consultation with the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.

Once approved, the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, after which the Department of Justice issues a formal notification in the Gazette of India.