Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Aravind Kumar took oath as Supreme Court judges on Monday, taking the working strength of the Supreme Court to its full quorum of 34.
They were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud.
The Collegium had recommended the elevation of Justice Bindal and Justice Kumar on January 31.
Justice Bindal was appointed as judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in March, 2006 and was eventually appointed as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in October, 2021. In terms of seniority, Justice Bindal is the second seniormost judge among the High Court judges in the country.
While recommending his name, the Collegium had also observed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which was Justice Bindal’s parent High Court and one of the largest High Courts in the country, was not adequately represented in the Supreme Court.
Justice Kumar was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court in June, 2009 and was confirmed as a permanent judge in December, 2012. He was elevated as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in October, 2021.
In terms of pan India seniority, Justice Kumar is presently the 26th seniormost Judge among the High Court Judges. Further, Justice Kumar is presently the second-senior most Judge among judges hailing from the Karnataka High Court.
The Central government had cleared their names on February 10.
In the past seven days, the Apex Court is witnessing the Swearing-in ceremony for the second time. On February 6, five new judges had been administered the oath of office and secrecy by the CJI.
These were Justice Pankaj Mithal, Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Manoj Mishra.