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New Delhi. The apex court on Saturday got five new judges with the Centre’s nod to the names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on December 13 last year. With the swearing-in of these judges, the number of judges in the apex court will reach 32. Still, this figure will be two less than the sanctioned strength of judges (34).
The appointment decision comes amid an ongoing dispute between the government and the judiciary over the process of appointing judges to the Supreme Court and 25 high courts. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pankaj Mittal, Patna High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Manipur High Court Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, Patna High Court Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Allahabad High Court Justice Manoj Mishra. Announced via tweet his elevation as a judge of the apex court.
As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President of India has appointed the following Chief Justices and Judges of the High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court.
I extend best wishes to all of them. pic.twitter.com/DvtBTyGV42— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 4, 2023
When these judges take the oath of office early next week, the number of judges in the apex court will go up to 32. At present, the apex court has a strength of 27 judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI), against its sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI. The appointments come amid strong observations by a Supreme Court bench on the delay on the part of the government in the appointment and transfer of judges despite the recommendations of the collegium.
A senior government official said that these five appointments had nothing to do with the bench’s remarks and these appointments were made after a considered decision by the Centre. The Supreme Court collegium had recommended their names on December 13 last year. Differences between the apex court and the government have come out in the open over the collegium system of appointing judges to the higher judiciary.
The following senior most Judges of the High Courts of Rajasthan, Patna and Manipur are appointed as Acting Chief Justices of the respective High Courts.
I extend best wishes to all of them. pic.twitter.com/LJVbroWTSV— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 4, 2023
The Law Minister recently described the collegium as “antithetical” to the Indian Constitution, while Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar criticized the Supreme Court’s decision in 2015 to strike down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the related Constitutional Amendment Act. The Center had on Friday assured the court that the collegium’s recommendation for appointment of five judges to the apex court would be cleared soon. Attorney General R. Venkataramani told a bench of Justices SK Kaul and AS Oka that warrants of appointment of these five names were expected to be issued soon.
Acting Chief Justices have been appointed in the Rajasthan, Manipur and Patna High Courts following the elevation of the Chief Justices of the respective High Courts to the apex court. Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava has been made the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, while Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh will hold the office of the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court until a regular appointment is made. Justice MV Muralidharan has been appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court. (agency)
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