Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on May 19 administered the oath of office to two Supreme Court judges, three days after the collegium recommended Justice PK Mishra and senior advocate KV Viswanathan to the top court.
The government cleared their names for appointment on May 18. The two positions fell vacant after Justice Dinesh Maheshwari retired on May 14 and Justice MR Shah the next day.
Justice Mishra, who was the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court, will serve the Supreme Court till August 2029. Recommending him, the collegium resolution said during his tenure of nearly 12 years as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, Mishra acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law.
Viswanathan, who is in line to be the Chief Justice of India, will serve the top court till May 2031. The resolution recommending him mentioned said he had a sound understanding of law and was known in the legal fraternity for his integrity.
Viswanathan, who comes from Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, would be the fourth member of the bar to be the chief justice of India after SM Sikri, UU Lalit and PS Narasimha.
The Supreme Court now has its full strength of 34 judges. Justices KM Joseph and Ajay Rastogi retire in June 2023.
So far in 2023, nine judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court, three times the appointments in the whole of 2022 when only three were named. All nine judges were recommended by the collegium led by CJI Chandrachud. The collegium has its task cut out as six more judges retire between June and December.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
