The Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday recommended the appointment of five additional judges of Madras High Court as permanent judges because of their good performance.

One of the five additional judges is Justice Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, whose elevation to the bench in February last year stirred a controversy over her alleged Right-wing leanings.

The other four recommended for appointment as permanent judges are Justice Pillaipakkam Bahukutumbi Balaji, Justice Kandhasami Kulandaivelu Ramakrishnan, Justice Ramachandran Kalaimathi and Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi.

“…We have scrutinised and evaluated the material placed on record including the opinion of our sole consultee-Judge and the reports of the Judgment Evaluation Committee. Bearing in mind all aspects of the above proposal, the Collegium is of the view that (i) Smt Justice Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, (ii) Shri Justice Pillaipakkam Bahukutumbi Balaji, (iii) Shri Justice Kandhasami Kulandaivelu Ramakrishnan, (iv) Smt Justice Ramachandran Kalaimathi, and (v) Smt Justice K Govindarajan 2 Thilakavadi, Additional Judges, are fit and suitable for being appointed as permanent Judges,” the official resolution signed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice B.R. Gavai stated.

In February last year, the appointment of then advocate Gowri as a judge of Madras High Court had triggered a controversy with a petition being filed in the Supreme Court for quashing the elevation.

The petition at that time had claimed that she had made hate speeches against Muslims and Christians and was also an erstwhile national general secretary of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha.

The three joint petitioners — Anna Mathew, Sudha Ramalingam and D. Nagasaila — had in their petition sought the disqualification of Gowri on the ground that her hate speeches and alleged proximity to the BJP disqualifies her under Article 217(2)(b) “from dispensing justice, without fear or favour, and affection or ill-will”.