Appointment of Supreme Court judges in India

Recently, the Union government notified the appointment of two judges as judges of the Supreme Court.

Who are the two new judges of the Supreme Court?

• Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia: Justice Dhulia hails from Uttarakhand and is the grandson of a freedom fighter who took part in the Quit India Movement. He became the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on January 10, 2021.
• Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala: Justice Pardiwala will be the fourth Parsi to be elevated to the Supreme Court. He is the son of Burjor Cawasji Pardiwala, who served as the Speaker Legislative Assembly of Gujarat. His appointment is the first from the minority community in the past five years. He could become the chief justice of India (CJI) upon the retirement of Justice PS Narasimha as the chief justice of India (CJI).

Who recommended the names of judges?

On May 5^th, 2022, the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana recommended the names of judges for appointment as Supreme Court judges.

Who are the other 4 members of the collegium?

The other four members of the Supreme Court Collegium are Justices UU Lalit, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud, and L Nageswara Rao.

Where is the procedure to appoint judges to Supreme Court mentioned in the constitution?

The procedure to appoint judges to the Supreme Court of India is listed under clause 2 of Article 124 of the Constitution of India.

Who can be the judge of the Supreme Court?

To be a Supreme Court judge, a person must necessarily be a citizen of India and must have either been a judge of a High Court or two or more such Courts in succession for at least five years or must have been an advocate of a High Court or two or more such Courts in succession for at least ten years.

What is the procedure to appoint Supreme Court judges?

• When a vacancy for the post of a Supreme Court judge arises, the CJI sends his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law, Justice, and Company Affairs.
• The CJI decides on his recommendation in consultation with a collegium of the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.
• The Union Law Minister presents the CJI’s final recommendation to the Prime Minister, who then advises the President of India.
• Once the warrant of appointment is signed by the President of India, a notification is also issued in the Gazette of India.

What is the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court?

After the appointment of two new judges, the Supreme Court will have its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges. However, two other vacancies will arise soon with Justice Vineet Saran set to retire on May 10 and Justice Nageswara Rao on June 7.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2022

Category: Legal & Constitution Current Affairs