# Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana Steps Aside From JPSC Dispute, New Bench To Take Up Hearing On October 5

> Supreme Court judge Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana has recused herself from hearing the Jharkhand Public Service Commission dispute after it emerged she previously represented parties in the matter as an advocate. Another bench will now hear the petitions regarding students and FIRs on October 5.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Jharkhand · **Published:** 2026-09-29 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/jharkhand/jharkhand-loka-seva-ayoga-vivada-ki-sunavai-se-alaga-huin-justice-venkita-subramani-mohana-aba-5-aktubara-ko-nai-bencha-karegi-vic-40058 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Supreme Court, Justice VS Mohana, JPSC Dispute, Jharkhand Public Service Commission, Judicial Recusal, KV Viswanathan

In an important procedural development at the highest judicial forum, a prominent matter concerning the Jharkhand Public Service Commission has been reassigned to a different bench of the Supreme Court. The reallocation occurred after Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana opted to withdraw from hearing the proceedings. During the session, the court was formally apprised that prior to her elevation, she had represented some of the litigating parties in the same dispute during her tenure as an advocate.

## Prior Professional Engagement Prompts Bench Reconstitution
The reassignment of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission case was undertaken to preserve judicial propriety and ensure complete neutrality in the resolution of the dispute. When the matter was called for consideration, the bench was informed that Justice Mohana had previously briefed and appeared on behalf of certain stakeholders connected to the litigation. In adherence to established legal conventions governing conflicts of interest, the matter was immediately placed before another bench.

The registry has scheduled the dispute for its next hearing on October 5 before the newly assigned bench. Meanwhile, counsel appearing for the petitioners pressed for urgent protective directions, urging the court to restrain authorities from initiating any punitive or coercive measures against students entangled in the controversy. Additionally, the petitioners have prayed for an explicit directive requiring the production of all first information reports registered in connection with the affair directly before the bench. The forthcoming October 5 proceeding is anticipated to outline the judicial roadmap regarding student protection and procedural compliance.

## From Pollachi to the Highest Court of the Land
Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana, whose presence drew attention in the wake of the recusal, assumed office as a judge of the Supreme Court in recent months following the central government's approval of her appointment in June 2026. Her elevation represents a rare milestone in Indian legal history, making her only the second woman lawyer to be elevated directly from the bar to the Supreme Court bench. This precedent was originally established in 2018, when Justice Indu Malhotra was appointed directly from the bar to the apex court.

Born in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, Justice Mohana grew up in a large household alongside 13 siblings. Her father served in the military before joining the Tamil Nadu state administration as a senior entomologist, fostering an environment anchored in strict discipline and dedicated study. Although her mother had limited access to formal schooling, she recognized her daughter's natural aptitude for reasoned argument and public speaking, consistently encouraging her to pursue legal studies.

## Foundational Years and Rise in the Legal Profession
Justice Mohana was part of an early institutional transition in Indian legal education. In 1983, she enrolled in the inaugural batch of the country's pioneering five-year integrated BA LLB programme, studying at the Coimbatore Law College. During those early days, academic infrastructure was rudimentary compared to modern standards, and lectures were frequently conducted inside rented premises. She completed her legal degree in 1988 before embarking on an extensive litigation career.

Her contemporary during those formative law school years was KV Viswanathan, who went on to serve as an Additional Solicitor General of India, attained the designation of senior advocate, and was later elevated to the Supreme Court bench as well. Over decades of rigorous practice before the apex court, Justice Mohana established a distinguished reputation, culminating in her designation as a senior advocate in 2015.

Her subsequent direct appointment from the bar to the Supreme Court bench in June 2026 capped a storied career. With her recusal ensuring impartial adjudication, attention now shifts to the October 5 hearing before the alternate bench, where arguments concerning the students and institutional accountability will take center stage.

## What this means for you
The assignment of an independent bench ensures absolute procedural transparency and safeguards candidate rights in the ongoing civil service dispute.

- **In Jharkhand:** Aspirants directly impacted by the commission's controversies gain a critical window of legal scrutiny regarding police or administrative coercion. Candidates are looking toward October 5, when the apex court reviews all filed FIRs and determines interim protections against arbitrary state action.
- **Across India:** The prompt bench recusal reinforces public confidence nationwide in judicial impartiality whenever past legal representation might pose a conflict. It sets a reaffirming precedent for civil services examinees across all states seeking unbiased constitutional review of administrative disputes.
- **Candidate Protections:** The specific prayer to restrain coercive measures against students highlights the importance of protecting young examinees from penal intimidation. Legal accountability remains focused on institutional functioning rather than punitive action against applicants.
- **Recruitment Standards:** Supreme Court scrutiny over state commission discrepancies directly shapes future accountability and examination integrity across public sector hiring boards.

## Why this happened
The bench reconstitution occurred directly because the presiding judge had previously represented litigants in this very dispute as an advocate, necessitating a transfer to safeguard judicial neutrality.

- **Prior Professional Advocacy:** During the hearing, the court was alerted that Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana had previously acted as legal counsel for certain parties connected to the litigation. Presiding over a case where a judge earlier represented involved stakeholders creates an evident conflict of interest.
- **Principles of Natural Justice:** An essential foundation of the Indian legal framework dictates that justice must not only be done, but manifestly be seen to be done. To uphold total institutional transparency, the matter was immediately referred to another bench.
- **Litigation Over Student Action:** The ongoing controversy involves criminal complaints registered against student candidates and allegations surrounding commission proceedings. Resolving such high-stakes administrative controversies requires an unquestionable judicial forum, leading to the scheduling of a fresh bench on October 5.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Why did Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana recuse herself from the JPSC matter?
She stepped aside after it was brought to the court's notice that she had previously represented certain parties in this dispute during her years as an advocate.

### 2. When will the next hearing in the JPSC case take place?
An alternate bench of the Supreme Court will hear the dispute on October 5.

### 3. What specific relief have the petitioners sought from the Supreme Court?
The petitioners have requested protection against coercive or penal action against students and sought the production of all related FIRs before the bench.

### 4. When was Justice Mohana appointed to the Supreme Court bench?
The central government approved her direct appointment from the bar as a Supreme Court judge in June 2026.

### 5. Who was the first woman lawyer to be elevated directly from the bar to the Supreme Court?
Justice Indu Malhotra became the first woman advocate directly appointed to the apex court bench in 2018.

### 6. Where did Justice Mohana receive her formal legal education?
She enrolled in the country's first five-year integrated BA LLB course at Coimbatore Law College in 1983 and graduated in 1988.

### 7. When was Justice Mohana designated as a senior advocate?
Following decades of practice in the Supreme Court, she was conferred the rank of senior advocate in 2015.

## Inspiration & Lessons
Rising from a modest household with 13 siblings to becoming only the second woman directly elevated from the bar to the Supreme Court exemplifies dedication and perseverance.

- **Overcoming Resource Constraints:** Despite studying in an early-stage law college operating out of rented premises in Coimbatore, she stayed focused on academic excellence. Modest beginnings and limited institutional facilities need not limit professional ambition.
- **Recognizing Inherent Strengths:** Even without extensive personal schooling, her mother recognized her aptitude for advocacy and encouraged her to pursue law. Identifying natural strengths and nurturing them with determination opens transformative career pathways.
- **Commitment to Sustained Mastery:** Graduating in 1988, she dedicated decades to daily practice in the Supreme Court, earning designation as a senior advocate in 2015. True professional stature is built through years of quiet discipline and courtroom rigor.
- **Breaking Historic Precedents:** By becoming only the second woman lawyer to be elevated directly from the bar to the apex court bench, she demonstrated that professional excellence can break historical ceilings.

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