The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the the appointment of the chief justices of Delhi High Courts, Rajasthan High Court, and Gauhati High Court respectively as judges of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium earlier this week recommended Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Justice Augustine George Masih, and Justice Sandeep Mehta.
The Supreme Court with their appointment will be back to its full strength of 34 judges and this year has witnessed a spate of retirements, with as many as eight judges and the latest being Justice S Ravindra Bhat is set to retire.
Currently, the Supreme Court has 31 judges, which includes the chief justice and 30 puisne judges. In December, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul is also set to retire.
The Supreme Court Collegium bench comprising of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, and Justice Surya Kant, revealed that the factors that weighed with the collegium while making its selection were the seniority of judges within their parent high courts as well as the overall seniority, and their merit, performance, and integrity.
The Supreme Court Collegium while recommending Justice Sharma’s name noted that he was the second-most senior judge across the country, and the most senior from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which was his parent high court. The Supreme Court stated that the appointment of him would enhance the representation in the top court of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which currently has only one judge from there.
The Supreme Court Collegium while recommending Justice Masih’s name noted that Justice Masih’s was seventh in terms of overall seniority, but first when it came to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is the parent high court of two other judges on the Supreme Court bench. The Supreme Court also considered Justice Masih’s membership of a minority community.
The Supreme Court Collegium while recommending Justice Mehta, noted that he being twenty-third on the list of overall seniority, but is the most senior of all judges hailing originally from the Rajasthan High Court.
Therefore, after the retirement of Justice Ajay Rastogi in June, the Rajasthan High Court remains unrepresented on the apex court bench. The three new judges are set to take oath of office on November 09, 2023.