Supreme Court achieves full strength, 2 new judges take oath
What's the story
The Supreme Court regained its full strength of 34 judges after nine months as Justices Rajesh Bindal and Aravind Kumar were sworn in on Monday. Justice Bindal was the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, while Justice Kumar was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat HC. The SC Collegium recommended their names on January 31, and the Centre announced their appointments last week.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Last week, five judges were elevated to the SC after the top court expressed displeasure over the delay in appointments recommended by the collegium nearly two months ago. The Centre and the judiciary have crossed swords over the appointment procedure. The government has called for the collegium system to be abolished, calling it "opaque," while the judiciary accused it of attempting to control appointments.
Details
Retirement age of HC judges is 62yrs, SC judges 65yrs
Justice Bindal was to retire in April this year after completing 62 years. However, with his elevation to the SC, he now has three more years of service. Born on July 14, 1962, Justice Kumar will turn 61 this July. The retirement age for high court and SC judges is 62 and 65 years, respectively. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju announced their appointment on Friday.
Bindal
Justice Bindal appointed to Allahabad HC in October 2021
Justice Bindal completed his LLB from Kurukshetra University in 1985 and started his career at the Punjab and Haryana High Court the same year. He was elevated as a judge in the same court in 2006, where he disposed of around 80,000 cases. In 2018, he was transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and in April 2021 to the Calcutta High Court.
Kumar
Justice Kumar took charge at Gujarat HC in October 2021
Justice Kumar was enrolled as an advocate in 1987 and in 1999, he was appointed as Additional Central Government Standing Counsel at the Karnataka High Court. In 2002, he was named as a member of the Regional Direct Taxes Advisory Committee and as an Assistant Solicitor General of India in 2005. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Karnataka HC in 2009.