Mitali Palnitkar
Published On: December 25, 2021 at 16:08 IST
On December 24, 2021, an Indian origin, Narandran ‘Jody’ Kollapen was appointed to the highest Judicial bench of South Africa, the Constitutional Court.
The appointment of Kollapen and Rammaka Steven Mathopo was announced by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. Both Kollapen and Mathopo were among the five candidates recommended to the President for the two vacancies. They will take office from January 1, 2022.
Before being appointed to the Constitutional Court, Kollapen was interviewed twice but was unsuccessful. He also served two terms as an Acting Judge in the same institution. He was the Judge of High Court before being appointed to the Constitutional Court.
Kollapen is known to have an illustrious career. He started his Legal Practice in 1982 and primarily focused on public interest work. He worked for the ‘Lawyers for Human Rights’ and also served as its national director for a year. He worked as the Commissioner of South African Human Rights Commission and served as its chairperson for seven years. He also worked as the chairperson of South African Law Reform Commission.
He serves several community-based organizations and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Kollapen has spoken on the human rights issues across diverse world forums. He is also decorated with several awards have for his work and contributions.