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New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate KV Vishwanathan took oath as judges of the Supreme Court on Friday. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. With the appointment of two new judges, the strength of the apex court has increased to 34, which is its sanctioned strength.
The appointments were announced by new Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Twitter on Thursday. However, the top court’s full capacity will be there only for a short while, with Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi and V. Ramasubramanian retiring on June 17, June 18 and June 30, respectively.
The Supreme Court Collegium, in a resolution on Tuesday, said: “After carefully evaluating the competence, integrity and competence of deserving Chief Justices and senior judges of High Courts and also after accommodating plurality of views, the Collegium has appointed Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra , Chief Justice, Andhra Pradesh High Court (PHC: Chhattisgarh) must be more than fit and proper in all respects to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
“The Collegium is cognizant of the fact that the present Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, who was appointed as a Judge on March 31, 2009, hails from the parent High Court of Chhattisgarh and is senior to Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra. However, Being that considering all the relevant factors, the Collegium is of the view that Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra is eligible for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.”
The Collegium noted that at present only one member from the Bar has been directly appointed to the Supreme Court Bench, and in its opinion, Vishwanathan is fit to be appointed as a Supreme Court Judge.
“The appointment of KV Vishwanathan will enhance the representation of the Bar in the structure of the Supreme Court. Vishwanathan is an eminent member of the Bar of the Supreme Court. His wide experience and in-depth knowledge will provide a significant value addition to the Supreme Court,” it said.
Vishwanathan was born on May 26, 1966, will serve as a judge till May 25, 2031. Upon the retirement of Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala on August 11, 2030, Vishwanathan will be next in line to hold office as the Chief Justice of India till his superannuation.
