New Delhi: On Tuesday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana will administer the oath of office to nine new Supreme Court judges, including three women. This will be the first time in history that nine judges will take the oath of office at once at the apex court, and the swearing-in ceremony will be held at the auditorium of the Supreme Court’s additional building complex.
The oath of office for new judges is traditionally administered in the CJI’s courtroom. As a result of the swearing-in of the nine new Supreme Court judges on Tuesday, the number of Supreme Court judges would rise to 33, including the Chief Justice, out of the sanctioned strength of 34.
‘This is for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court of India when nine judges will be taking the oath of office in one go. In another first, the venue of the ceremony is shifted to the auditorium. This is done keeping in view the need for strict adherence to COVID norms,’ according to a press release issued by the apex court’s public relations office. According to the announcement, the swearing-in ceremony would be broadcast live on DD News and DD India, and the webcast would also be available on the official website of the Supreme Court.
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The nine new judges swearing-in today will be — Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka (former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court), Justice Vikram Nath (former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court), Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari (former Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court), Justice Hima Kohli (former Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court) and Justice B V Nagarathna (former judge of the Karnataka High Court). In addition to them, Justice C T Ravikumar (former judge of the Kerala High Court), Justice M M Sundresh (former judge of the Madras High Court), Justice Bela M Trivedi (former judge of the Gujarat High Court) and P S Narasimha (senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General).
Justice Nagarathna is slated to become the first woman Chief Justice of India in September 2027. Former CJI E S Venkataramiah’s daughter, Justice Nagarathna, was born on October 30, 1962. Including her, Justice Nath and and Justice Narasimha are in line to become Chief Justice of India.
In February 2027, apex court judge Justice Surya Kant will retire and be succeeded by Justice Nath. He would be succeeded by Justice Nagarathna, who would have a tenure as chief justice of over a month. CJI Narasimha would succeed Justice Nagarathna and have a term of over six months. The apex court Collegium had recommended these nine names for appointment as judges on August 17.
The warrants of their appointment as Supreme Court judges were later signed by President Ram Nath Kovind. In the past 71 years, the top court, which was established on January 26, 1950, has appointed only eight female judges since M Fathima Beevi was appointed in 1989. Justice Indira Banerjee is currently the only woman judge in the apex court after being elevated on August 7, 2018 from the Madras High Court, where she was chief justice.
The retirement age for High Court judges is 62 while the retirement age for Supreme Court judges is 65.
On August 17, the collegium headed by CJI Ramana had recommended these nine names and put an end to the 21-month stalemate on the nomination of new judges to the top court. Because of the impasse over the appointment, no names could be recommended for the apex court judgeship after the retirement of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi on November 17, 2019.
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