Nine new Supreme Court judges, including three women, were administered their oaths of office by Chief Justice NV Ramana on Tuesday. With the swearing-in of the nine new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court has risen to 33, including the CJI, out of the sanctioned strength of 34.
This is the first time in the history of India’s highest court that nine judges have been sworn in at one time. The ceremony was held in the court complex’s auditorium building to ensure social distancing and adherence to Covid protocols; traditionally it is administered in the chief justice’s court room.
The new judges include Justice Abhay Oka (former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court), Justice Vikram Nath (former Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court), Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari (former Chief Justice of Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh High Courts) and Justice Hima Kohli (former Chief Justice of Telangana High Court).
Justice BV Nagarathna (former Karnataka High Court judge) was also sworn in.
The daughter of former Chief Justice ES Venkataramiah, Justice Nagarathna will become India’s first woman chief justice in 2027. However, she is likely to have a tenure of only one month.
The other new judges are Justice CT Ravikumar (former Kerala High Court judge), Justice MM Sundresh (former Madras High Court judge), Justice Bela M Trivedi (former Gujarat High Court judge) and Justice PS Narasimha (senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General).
It is to mention here that while high court judges retire at the age of 62, the retirement age of Supreme Court judges is 65.
The recommendation of these nine names by the five-member collegium headed by CJI Ramana at its meeting on August 17 had put an end to the 21-month-long logjam over the appointment of new judges to the top court.
Now you can get latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday Facebook page and Twitter and on Instagram
