Five News Judges Elevated to Supreme Court

Five News Judges Elevated to Supreme Court

Appointment of five new judges are expected to be sworn in the Supreme Court of India by the Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, in a ceremony to be held at the court's auditorium in its new building complex.

After a two-month-long battle between the Union government and the judiciary over the appointment of new judges, the Centre cleared the names of five judges for the Supreme Court. A formal notification regarding the same was released on Saturday. The Centre had assured the Top Court, which expressed serious displeasure over the delay, that the appointments will happen "very soon."

The Central government on 3rd February, 2023 told the Supreme Court that it is processing the files relating to five High Court judges who were recommended by the six-member Supreme Court Collegium on 13th December last year for appointment as judges of the apex court.

During the hearing of the case on 3rd February, 2023, the division bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and AS Oka said that only one of the files regarding appointment could be pending with the Collegium.

Attorney General (in short AG) R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre informed and assured the Court that the warrants will be issued soon. To which Justice Kaul retaliated, "how would I know? I have no knowledge. Should we record?" but the AG gave him assurance.

The Court then proceeded to record the following, "AG submits that so far as five recommendations made for Supreme Court, warrants will be issued within five days." The Court eventually adjourned the matter after asking the government to process the recommendations within ten days.

The Supreme Court taking its strength to 32 against the sanctioned strength of 34, when three Chief Justices- Justice Pankaj Mithal, Justice Sanjay Karol and PV Sanjay Kumar of High Courts of Rajasthan, Patna and Manipur respectively will take oath alongside two other senior High Court judges.

The senior most among the five judges, whose names were officially announced is Justice Pankaj Mithal whose parent cadre is the Allahabad High Court. Justice Mithal graduated in the year 1982 from Allahabad University and obtained his law degree from Meerut College. Justice Mithal was appointed as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court in October by President Droupadi Murmu. In the past, he served as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He has formerly served as a judge of the Allahabad high court. He was also the Standing Counsel of Dr. B R Ambedkar University, Agra, between 1990 and February 2006.

He was elevated as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on 7th July, 2006, and took oath as a permanent judge on 2nd July, 2008.

Justice Sanjay Karol, the second senior most judge who will take oath, born in Shimla and gained his law degree from the Himachal Pradesh University. Born in 1961, he is an alumnus of the prestigious St. Edward School of Shimla and was the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court at the time of his elevation to the top court. Initially, he served as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court and is also the former judge and acting Chief Justice of High Court of Himachal Pradesh Court. On 11th November, 2019 he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Patna by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

Justice PV Sanjay Kumar presumed the office as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court on 14th February, 2021. He attained his graduation in Commerce from Nizam College from Hyderabad. Justice Kumar went on to get his law degree from the Delhi University in 1988 and enrolled in the Bar Council the same year. He served as the government pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court between 2000 and 2003 and was elevated as additional judge of Telangana High Court in 2008. He has formerly also served as the judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah belongs from Bihar and acquired his law degree from Patna Law College. He primarily practiced in the Patna High Court but also practiced before the Delhi, Calcutta, and Jharkhand High Court, as well as the Supreme Court. Justice Amanullah was temporarily transferred to Andhra Pradesh High Court in October 2021, before being re-transferred to the Patna high court in June last year.

The fifth in the list, Justice Manoj Misra born on 2nd June, 1965. He enrolled as an advocate on 12th December, 1988 and was elevated as additional judge at the Allahabad High Court on 21st November, 2011 by then President Pratibha Patil and took oath as permanent judge on 6th August, 2013.

On 31st January, the Supreme Court Collegium additionally recommended two more names for elevation as top court judges- Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Arvind Kumar.

Eight judges are scheduled to demit office in 2023 out of the 27 Apex Court judges present.