5 new judges take oath in Supreme Court
What's the story
Five new judges were sworn in at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, taking the court closer to its full sanctioned strength of 38 judges. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant to Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Justice Arun Palli, and Senior Advocate V Mohana. Their appointments were notified by the central government on Monday after being recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium on May 27.
Judge profiles
Justice Nagu was Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana HC
Justice Nagu was the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before his elevation. He started his career in the Madhya Pradesh High Court and was appointed as its judge in 2011. Justice Chandrashekhar was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court at his elevation, having served as a judge of the Jharkhand High Court since 2013.
Judge profiles
Justice Sachdeva was Chief Justice of MP High Court
Justice Sachdeva was recently appointed Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court after a long tenure as a judge of the Delhi High Court. He has dealt extensively with constitutional, commercial, and criminal law disputes. Justice Palli headed the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court before his elevation. He enrolled as an advocate in 1988 and was designated a senior advocate in 2007.
Woman representation
Senior advocate V Mohana's appointment significant
The appointment of Senior Advocate V Mohana is significant as it increases the representation of women judges in the Supreme Court. Before her elevation, Justice BV Nagarathna was the only woman judge serving on the Court. Mohana is only the second woman lawyer to be elevated directly from the Bar to the SC after Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018.
Court vacancies
Working strength of SC rises to 36 judges
With these new appointments, the Supreme Court's working strength has now risen to 36 judges, besides the CJI, leaving only one vacancy against the sanctioned strength of 37 judges. However, two more vacancies are expected soon, with Justice Pankaj Mithal retiring this week and Justice JK Maheshwari retiring later this month. The fresh inductions come at a crucial time when several retirements are due in the coming months.