For the first time in history, nine new Supreme Court justices will take the oath today
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana will administer the oath of office to nine new Supreme Court judges, including three women, on Tuesday.
It is the first time in the Supreme Court’s history that nine judges will take the oath of office at the same time, and the ceremony will take place in the auditorium of the Supreme Court’s additional building complex.
The oath of office for new judges is traditionally administered in the CJI’s courtroom. With the swearing-in of the nine new judges on Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s strength would increase to 33, including the Chief Justice, from the sanctioned strength of 34.
For the first time in the Supreme Court of India’s history, nine judges will take the oath of office at the same time. Another first is that the ceremony is moved to the auditorium. This is done with the need for strict adherence to COVID norms in mind,” according to a press release issued by the Supreme Court’s public relations office.
It stated that the swearing-in ceremony would be broadcast live on DD News and DD India, and that a live webcast would also be available on the home page of the Supreme Court’s official web portal.
The CJI would also administer the oath of office to Justice C T Ravikumar (a judge of the Kerala High Court), Justice M M Sundresh (a judge of the Madras High Court), Justice Bela M Trivedi (a judge of the Gujarat High Court), and P S Narasimha (a senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General).
In September 2027, Justice Nagarathna will become the first woman Chief Justice of India. Justice Nagarathna was born on October 30, 1962, to former Chief Justice E S Venkataramiah. Three of the nine new judges, Justices Nath, Nagarathna, and Narasimha, are vying for the position of Chief Justice of India.
When sitting Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant retires in February 2027, Justice Nath will take over as CJI.
Justice Nath would be succeeded as Chief Justice by Justice Nagarathna, who would serve for more than a month. Narasimha would succeed Justice Nagarathna as CJI and would serve for more than six months. On August 17, the apex court Collegium recommended these nine names for appointment as top court judges.
President Ram Nath Kovind later signed the warrants for their appointment as Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court, which was established on January 26, 1950, has had very few female judges since its inception, with only eight appointed in the last 71 years, beginning with M Fathima Beevi in 1989.
Justice Indira Banerjee is currently the apex court’s lone female judge, having been elevated from the Madras High Court, where she was Chief Justice, on August 7, 2018. While high court judges retire at the age of 62, Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
The recommendation of these nine names by the five-member SC collegium led by CJI Ramana at its meeting on August 17 had ended a 21-month stalemate over the appointment of new judges to the Supreme Court.
The impasse over the appointment had resulted in a situation in which no single name for the apex court judgeship could be recommended following the superannuation of then-CJI Ranjan Gogoi on November 17, 2019.
