- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S Chief Justice NV Ramana on Tuesday (31) morning administered nine new judges of the top court their oaths of office, setting a record. This is the first time in the history of the Indian Supreme Court that as many as nine judges have been sworn in at one time. The ceremony was held in the court complex’s auditorium building where Covid protocols were observed.
The nine new judges who took oath were Justice Abhay Oka (former chief justice of Karnataka High Court), Justice Vikram Nath (former chief justice of Gujarat High Court), Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari (former chief justice of Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh High Courts), Justice Hima Kohli (former chief justice of Telangana High Court), Justice CT Ravikumar (former Kerala High Court judge), Justice MM Sundresh (former Madras High Court judge), Justice Bela M Trivedi (former Gujarat High Court judge) and Justice PS Narasimha (senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General).
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Besides, Justice BV Nagarathna, a former judge at the Karnataka High Court, was also sworn in. Daughter of former chief justice ES Venkataramaiah, Justice Nagarathna is set to become India’s first woman chief justice in 2027 although her tenure is likely to be of one month.
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Even with the induction of the new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court now stands at 33, including Chief Justice Ramana, which is one less than the maximum figure of 34.
The appointment of three judges to the top court was hailed in many quarters since the Indian top court has seen participation of very few women judges till date. In the seven decades of its history, the Supreme Court has seen only eight women judges, starting with M Fathima Beevi as late as 1989.
Currently, Justice Indira Banerjee is the only woman judge in the Indian Supreme Court and will retire next year.
