With Appointment of 2 New Judges, SC Regains its Full Strength of 34

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 10th Feb. The centre on Friday elevated two more High Court judges to the Supreme Court, bringing it to its full strength of 34 judges, a week after five judges were appointed to the top court. Justice Rajesh Bindal, currently Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, and Justice Aravind Kumar, currently Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, will be appointed to the Supreme Court.

“As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President of India has appointed the following Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court. My best to them: Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad HC and Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, Gujarat HC,” Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a tweet.

On January 31, the Supreme Court collegium recommended their names.

The collegium, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, recommended five names for elevation to the Supreme Court on December 13, last year, but they were rejected by the centre nearly two months later, amid a protracted squabble between the executive and the judiciary over the appointment process.

Earlier this week, Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal, Patna High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Manipur High Court Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, Patna High Court judge Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Allahabad High Court judge Manoj Misra took their oaths as Supreme Court judges.

The collegium system, in which a group of senior judges recommends names for elevation to the higher judiciary, has become a major point of contention between the Supreme Court and the centre. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has repeatedly spoken out against the system, while the court has responded with equal vehemence, turning the issue into a verbal brawl.