After the recent superannuation of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul,another change has happened in the Supreme Court Collegium.
The Supreme Court Collegium, which has Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court on board is responsible for recommending appointments to the Top court and the High Court, along with transfers of High Court judges.
The Supreme Court Collegium will now comprise of:
CJI DY Chandrachud
The current CJI Chandrachud has practiced law before the Apex Court and Bombay High Court earlier.
Justice DY Chandrachud has also served as Additional Solicitor General of India from 1998 until he was appointed as a judge of the Bombay High Court in March 2000.
Jusrice Chandrachud also served as the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court.
He was later elevated to the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna
In January 2019, Justice Khanna was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India , after having served as a judge of the Delhi High Court for fourteen years.
Justice Khanna was a practising lawyer before his appointment as a judge.As a lawyer,Justice Khanna took matters pertaining to constitutional, company, taxation and environmental law, as well as arbitration and commercial matters.
Justice Khanna will spend around six months at the helm after the retirement of current CJI DY Chandrachud,after which his retirement is due on May 13, 2025.
Justice BR Gavai
Justice Gavai was elevated as a judge of Bombay court in 2003,prior to which he was a lawyer practicing before the Bombay High Court specialising in constitutional and administrative law.
Justice Gavai also served as government pleader and public prosecutor during his time as a lawyer.
Justuce Gavai was elevated to the Supreme Court in year July 2019
Justice Gavai was the first Dalit judge in a decade and will be the second He was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
He was the first Dalit judge in nearly a decade to be appointed to the top court and will be the second Dalit Chief Justice of India after Justice KG Balakrishnan who retired in 2010.
Justice Surya Kant
In 2001,then a Senior lawyer,Justice Kant had specialisation in constitutional, civil and service matters.
Justice Kant held the office of Advocate General of Haryana until his elevation as a permanent judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. He later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
Justice Kant will be serving as the Chief Justice of India for a period of over fourteen months from November 24, 2025 to February 9, 2027.
Justice Aniruddha Bose
Justice Bose started his career as a lawyer specialising in constitutional, civil and intellectual property matters before the Calcutta High Court in 1985.
In the year 2004,he was appointed as a permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court.
In 2018, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court and less than a year later, on May 24, 2019, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.
He will retire from service as a judge on April 10, 2024.
It is important to note that Justice Bose will retire in April this year, after which Justice AS Bopanna will take his place in the Collegium.
It is to be noted that three of the current members – Justices Khanna, Gavai and Kant will serve as Chief Justice of India at different points over the next three years as the current CJI Chandrachud will retire in November 2024.