Justice CT Ravikumar of the Kerala high court was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on Thursday. Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification regarding the President’s appointment of justice Ravikumar as an SC judge .
This followed the decision of the union government to accept the recommendations for appointments made by the Supreme Court collegium last week. Justice Ravikumar was appointed as an additional judge of the high court on January 5, 2009 and had become a permanent judge on December 15, 2010. Prior to becoming a judge, justice Ravikumar had served as a government pleader, senior government pleader, and as a special government pleader.
Having obtained law degree from Government Law College, Kozhikode, he had enrolled as an advocate in July 1986 and began his practice at Mavelikkara. He later shifted practice to Ernakulam and specialized in civil, criminal, service, and labour matters.
In June 2013, justice Ravikumar had ordered for splitting up the trial against Pinarayi Vijayan and other accused in SNC Lavalin corruption case and held that there is no need to wait for the absconding accused to appear or be caught to conduct the trial.
In September 2016, a bench headed by justice Ravikumar held that the government is liable to compensate road accident victims if insurance is not available as road tax is being levied. In July 2018, a bench headed by justice Ravikumar had directed the state government to frame rules for appointing an authority to grant approval for religious conversions.
A full court reference will be held at the Kerala high court on Friday to bid farewell to justice Ravikumar and chief justice S Manikumar will preside at the function.
