President Draupadi Murmu on Thursday approved the elevation of two High Court Chief Justices and one High Court judge to the Supreme Court.
A notification issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, was pleased to appoint Justice NV Anjaria, Chief Justice, High Court of Karnataka; Justice Vijay Bishnoi, Chief Justice, High Court of Gauhati; and Justice AS Chandurkar, judge, High Court of Bombay, as judges of the Supreme Court of India.
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by CJI BR Gavai and comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice BV Nagarathna as it’s members, had recommended the names of these judges for their elevation to the Apex Court on May 26.
Justice Anjaria began his legal career at the Gujarat High Court in August 1988 under Senior Advocate SN Shelat. He handled civil, constitutional, labour, and service matters and served as Standing Counsel for various state bodies, including the High Court, the State Election Commission, and the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation.
He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court on November 21, 2011 and became a permanent judge on September 6, 2013. He took oath as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on February 25, 2024.
Justice Bishnoi was enrolled as an advocate on July 8, 1989. He practiced at the Rajasthan High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal in Jodhpur, handling a wide range of matters including constitutional, civil, service, election and criminal matters.
He served as Additional Central Government Standing Counsel (2000–2004) and represented various departments of the Rajasthan government such as Panchayat Raj, Rural Development, Co-operative, Stamps & Registration, Labour, Excise and Transport.
Justice Bishnoi was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Rajasthan High Court on January 8, 2013 and became a permanent judge on January 7, 2015. He took oath as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on February 5, 2024.
Justice Chandurkar was enrolled as a lawyer on July 21, 1988. He started practice under Senior Advocate BN Naik in Mumbai, who was later elevated to the Bench. In 1992, he shifted his practice to Nagpur, where he appeared before various courts and dealt with a wide range of legal matters.
Justice Chandurkar is also an author of two legal books—one on The Maharashtra Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayats & Industrial Townships Act, 1965, and the other on The Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999.
He was appointed an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.
Following the recent retirements of former CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Bela Trivedi, the Supreme Court is currently functioning with 31 judges, leaving three vacancies.
Following the swearing-in ceremony of these judges, the Apex Court will operate at its full sanctioned strength of 34.