Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, administered oath to five newly-appointed Supreme Court judges on Monday, Febrary 6.
Justice Pankaj Mithal, Justice Sanjay Karol and PV Sanjay Kumar, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Manoj Misra were administered oath in a ceremony held at the court's auditorium in its new complex building.
With the five judges taking oath, the working strength of the top court has risen to 32 against sanctioned strength of 34.
The five newly-appointed justices of the Supreme Court
Justice Pankaj Mithal
Senior most among five judges, Justice Mithal's parent cadre is Allahbad High Court. He served as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan since October 14, 2022.
Justice Mithal, a graduate of commerce, completed his LLB in 1985 from Meerut College and enrolled as an advocate in UP Bar Council the same year.
His practice began in the HC in 1985 and he was later elevated as additional judge of the Allahbad HC in 2006 and took oath as permanent judge two years later in 2008.
He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Common High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh on January 4, 2021.
Justice Sanjay Karol
The second senior-most judge, Justice Karol's parent HC cadre is Himachal Pradesh. He was the chief justice of the Patna High Court at the time of elevation.
An alumnus of the prestigious St. Edward School of Shimla, he graduated with honours in history from Government Degree College. He then got his law degree from HP University and enrolled as an advocate in 1986.
A native of Kangra district, he obtained his degree in law from Himachal Pradesh University and enrolled as an advocate in 1986.
Justice Karol practised in various courts, including the Supreme Court. He has specialised in matters related to Constitution, taxation and corporate, criminal and civil cases. He was designated as a senior advocate in 1999.
Justice Karol was also the advocate general of Himachal Pradesh from 1998 to 2003 and was elevated as a Judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on March 8, 2007. He was appointed as acting Chief Justice of the court with effect from April 25, 2017.
He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on November 9, 2018, and of the Patna High Court on November 11, 2019.
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, who originally belonged to the Telangana High Court, is third in the list of five judges and was heading the Manipur High Court at the time of recommendation by the Collegium on December 13 last year and subsequent clearance by the Centre.
Born on August 14, 1963, he did his graduation in commerce from Nizam College, Hyderabad and secured his LL.B degree from Delhi University in 1988.
Justice Kumar enrolled as a member of the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh in August 1988 and served as a government pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court from 2000 to 2003.
He was elevated to the bench as an additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on August 8, 2008, and assumed charge as a permanent judge of the court on January 20, 2010. Justice Kumar assumed charge as a judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on October 14, 2019. He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court on February 14, 2021.
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah of the Patna High Court is the fourth judge who has been appointed to the Supreme Court.
Born on May 11, 1963, he enrolled with the Bihar State Bar Council on September 27, 1991, and was standing counsel for the state government from March 2006 to August 2010.
He was a government advocate in the Patna High Court till his elevation as Judge in the same court on June 20, 2011. He was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 10, 2021, and back to the Patna High Court on June 20, 2022.
Justice Manoj Misra
Justice Manoj Misra, the fifth in the list, was born on June 2, 1965. He enrolled as an advocate on December 12, 1988, and was elevated as additional judge at the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011. He took oath as a permanent judge on August 6, 2013.
All the five names for the judgeship in the top court were recommended by the six-member Supreme Court Collegium on December 13 last year.
On January 31, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended two more names for elevation as top court judges -- Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar.
