In a major development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central Government cleared the elevation of two Andhra Pradesh High Court (HC) judges as the Supreme Court judges.
After taking over Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal, the new Law Minister of India, approved the elevation of the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh Mr. Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate Mr. K.V. Viswanathan.
The two judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, would take the oath of the Supreme Court judge on the 19th of May, Friday. Mr. D.Y. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) would administer the oath to the High Court judges as the Apex Court judges.
The development of elevating high court judges as the Top Court judges came after the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their appointment on May 16, citing the need for more members from the bar to be appointed to the Supreme Court bench.
Highlighting about the two judges, Mr. Viswanathan will be the tenth lawyer to be appointed to the Supreme Court directly from the Bar. He has spent over 30 years in the legal profession and has worked on many high-profile cases.
He will also be the fourth person to become Chief Justice of India from the bar. Mr Viswanathan will serve until May 25, 2031, and will be eligible to assume Chief Justice of India’s office in August 2030.
Justice Mishra, currently the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, has also been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. He has previously served as Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court and acting Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.
The Supreme Court currently has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges and is functioning with 32 judges. However, four more vacancies are expected to arise by the second week of July.
Mango News Link
Telegram: https://t.me/mangonewsofficial
Google Play Store: https://bit.ly/2R4cbgN
Apple / iOS Store: https://apple.co/2xEYFJ
