Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti, on Friday took oath as judges of the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of India, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new judges.
With their appointment, the strength of the Apex Court has risen to 32 out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
Justice Bhuyan will have a term till August 2, 2029 at the Apex Court, while Justice Bhatti will retire on May 6, 2027.
President Draupadi Murumu had cleared the appointment of Justice Bhuyan and Justice Bhatti as judges of the top court of the country on July 12.
Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, had announced their elevation by way of social media on the night of July 12.
A post by Meghwal on micro-blogging site Twitter said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the Hon’ble President, after consultation with the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following 02 Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court of India-
- Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Chief Justice, Telangana High Court
- Justice S.V. Bhatti, Chief Justice, Kerala High Court
The parent High Court of Justice Bhuyan is the Gauhati High Court. He was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011. He is the senior-most judge of his parent High Court and has been serving as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court since June 28, 2022.
Justice Bhatti was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on April 12, 2013 and is the senior-most judge of his parent High Court. He was transferred to the Kerala High Court in March 2019 and is presently serving as Chief Justice there since June 1, 2023.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their elevation on July 5. The Collegium resolution noted that the Andhra Pradesh High Court did not have any representation in the Supreme Court since August 2022. Therefore, it chose Justice Bhatti to represent the Andhra Pradesh High Court.