Justice Prasanna B Varale was sworn-in as a judge of the Supreme Court took oath on January 25, 2024. The Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administered the oath to Justice Varale, who was previously the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and a judge of the Bombay High Court.
With the appointment of Justice Prasanna B Varale, the Supreme Court is back to its full strength of 34 judges. The Supreme Court at present has three judges from the Scheduled Castes – Justices BR Gavai, CT Ravikumar and Varale. This is the highest-ever representation of the Scheduled Caste community in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium appointed chief justice of Karnataka High Court, Justice Prasanna B Varale as Judge of the Supreme Court.
Last week, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his elevation.
The Supreme Court Collegium had considered the fact that among the High Court Judges, Justice Varale is the senior-most Judge belonging to a Scheduled Caste and the only Chief Justice belonging to a Scheduled Caste among the Chief Justices of High Courts across the country.
Justice Varale stand at Sl No.6 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges.
Justice Varale being the senior-most judge of the Bombay High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in the case observed that the judgements authored by him deal with variety of issues in every field of law. The five-member collegium recorded in the resolution that he is the competent judge with unimpeachable conduct and integrity and has throughout maintained high standard of professional ethics.
Therefore, the court stated that his elevation as a Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2008, he practised at the Bar for over 23 years in civil, criminal, labour and administrative law matters in District and Sessions Court and in Constitutional matters at the High Court Bench at Aurangabad. Thus, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court in October 2022.
The said recommendation is made towards the vacancy which the central government had cleared the appointment of the chief justice of Karnataka High Court, Justice Prasanna B Varale as Judge of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium made the recommendation towards the vacancy which arose in the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice SK Kaul last month.
Further, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Aniruddha Bose are the other members of the Supreme Court Collegium.
