Nine new Supreme Court judges, including three women, were administered their oaths of office by Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Tuesday.
It is for the first time in the history of the apex court that nine judges took oath of office at one go. CJI Ramana administered the oath of office to the new judges in a swearing-in ceremony held in the auditorium of the Supreme Court's additional building complex.
With the swearing-in of the nine new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court has risen to 33, including the CJI, out of the sanctioned strength of 34.
The nine new judges who were administered oath of office as apex court judges include Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B V Nagarathna.
Besides them, Justice C T Ravikumar, Justice M M Sundresh, Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice P S Narasimha, who was a senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General, were also administered oath of office by the CJI.
Traditionally, the oath of office to new judges is administered in the CJI's court room but the swearing-in ceremony was shifted to the auditorium keeping in view the need for strict adherence to COVID-19 norms, a press release issued by the apex court's public relations office on Monday had said.
Nine judges who were administered the oath of office:
Justice Vikram Nath: Justice Nath was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court. He is in line to become the CJI upon the retirement of sitting top court judge Justice Surya Kant in February 2027. He would be succeeded by Justice Nagarathna, who would have a tenure of over a month as the head of the judiciary.
Justice BV Nagarathna: Justice Nagarathna is in line to become the first woman CJI in September 2027. Justice Nagarathna, born on October 30, 1962, is the daughter of former CJI E S Venkataramiah. She will have a tenure as an apex court judge till October 29, 2027 and may have a tenure of over one month as the first woman CJI after September 23, 2027.
Justice Hima Kohli: Justice Hima Kohli was Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Kohli was the first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court which came into existence in 2019. Born in 1959 in Delhi, Kohli completed her law course in the University of Delhi in 1984 and got enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in the same year. She was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Delhi in 2006 and took oath as a permanent Judge in 2007.
Justice Bela Trivedi: Justice Trivedi was a judge of the Gujarat High Court.
Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka: Justice Oka was the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. He had enrolled as an Advocate in 1983 and started practising in Thane district court. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court in August 2003 and appointed as a permanent Judge in November 2005.
Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari: Justice Maheshwari was the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court. Justice Maheshwari had taken charge of the Sikkim High Court on January 6, 2021. Prior to this, Chief Justice Maheshwari had served as the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh High Courts as well.
Justice C T Ravikumar: Justice Ravikumar was a judge of the Kerala High Court.
Justice M M Sundresh: Justice was a judge of the Madras High Court.
Justice P S Narasimha: He was a senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General.
(With inputs from PTI)
