Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud greets Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh after administering oath of office to the latter as Judge of Supreme Court of India during the swearing-in ceremony, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud administered the oath of office to two new Supreme Court judges, Justices N. Kotiswar Singh and R. Mahadevan, on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
The new entrants returned the court to its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges after a gap of nearly three months.
The two new judges fill the vacancies left in the court with the retirement of Justices Aniruddha Bose, who retired in April l, and Justice A.S. Bopanna in May, just before the commencement of the summer holidays.
The new appointments are first after the court reopened.
The five-member Supreme Court Collegium had proposed their names on July 11. The government had cleared the appointments within a week, on July 16.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud greets Justice R Mahadevan after administering oath of office to the latter as Judge of Supreme Court of India during the swearing-in ceremony, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Justice Singh is the first Supreme Court judge from Manipur. He was serving as the Chief Justice of the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He was due to retire on February 28, 2025.
Mr Justice N. Kotiswar Singh originally hails from Manipur… His (Justice Singh) appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court will provide representation to the North-East, and in particular he will be the first Judge from the State of Manipur to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court,” the Collegium had highlighted in its resolution.
The Collegium has lately recommended senior Delhi High Court judge, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, for appointment as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
Justice Mahadevan was the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras. He belongs to the backward community in Tamil Nadu and the Collegium resolution had said his appointment to the top court would usher in diversity in the Bench.
The Collegium said Justice Mahadevan was “eminently suitable” for appointment as a Supreme Court judge..
“The Collegium has taken due note of the fact that Mr. Justice R. Mahadevan ranks third in the order of presently serving judges of the Madras High Court including the judges who have been posted as Chief Justices outside the Madras High Court. At this stage, the Collegium has given precedence to the candidature of Mr Justice R Mahadevan in order to give representation to the backward community,” the Collegium resolution had explained.
The Collegium has recently recommended Justice K R Shriram, a senior Judge of the Bombay High Court, for appointment as Madras High Court Chief Justice.
