On Friday, Justices SV Bhatti and Ujjal Bhuyan took their oaths of office as Supreme Court justices. The Justices Bhuyan and Bhatti were sworn in by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. According to the notification released on Wednesday, Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and SV Bhatti Chief have been appointed as judges of the Supreme Court of India by the President in exercise of the authority granted by the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court Collegium last week recommended the appointment of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti, Chief Justice of Kerala High Court, as judges of the top court.
The Collegium in its resolution said that it resolves to recommend the appointments of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti by following the order of seniority.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant took the decision in a Collegium meeting held on July 5, 2023.
In the resolution, the Collegium said that after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations, the Collegium finds the two persons to be deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on 17 October 2011. He is the senior-most judge of his parent High Court and was serving as Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana since June 28, 2022.
Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on April 12, 2013 and is the senior-most in his parent High Court. At present, he was serving as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala.
With their appointments, the Supreme Court will have a strength of 32 judges out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Justice Bhuyan will serve on the Supreme Court through August 2, 2029, and Justice Bhatti through May 6, 2027.