Indian-origin judge appointed to South Africa’s highest judicial bench

Indian origin, Narandran ‘Jody’ Kollapen, who is Indian origin, has been appointed to South Africa’s highest judicial bench, the Constitutional Court.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday announced the appointment of 64-year-old Kollapen and Rammaka Steven Mathopo as the latest additions to the Constitutional Court after a lengthy process of public interviews. Both will take office from January 1, 2022. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment of Rammaka Steven Mathopo and Kollapen to the Constitutional Court after lengthy public interviews.

About the Kollapen:

Kollapen, who has now been elevated from his position as a judge of the high court, started legal practice in 1982, focussing largely on public interest work. He joined Lawyers for Human Rights in 1993 and went on to become its national director in 1995, serving in that position until the end of 1996, he became the Commissioner of the South African Human rights Commission in 1997 and was a part of the Commission till 2009. Since then, Kollapen has worked with numerous NGOs and organizations and has spoken about Human Rights in universities like Harvard and also at the United Nations.