Centre notifies appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran as Supreme Court judge

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday notified the appointment of Patna High Court's Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran as a judge of the Supreme Court.

According to a notification issued by the Law and Justice Ministry, the President has appointed Justice Chandran to be a judge of the Supreme Court from the date he assumes charge of his office.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also announced the decision on X.

On January 7, 2025, the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and consisting of four senior most judges, unanimously picked up name of Justice Chandran, hailing from the Kerala High Court for elevation.

Justice Chandran has served as a judge of the High Court for more than 11 years and as a Chief Justice of a big High Court for more than a year.

In its meeting, the Collegium, also comprising Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay S Oka, deliberated and discussed the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.

While recommending Justice Chandran's name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala, a statement had said.

Justice Chandran was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011 and was elevated as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Patna on March 29, 2023 and has been functioning as the Chief Justice of that High Court since then.

During his long tenure as a judge and Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law, the Collegium said.

Justice Chandran stands at serial number 13 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court judges. In the seniority of judges hailing from the High Court of Kerala, he stood at number one.

Notably, Justice C T Ravikumar who belonged to the Kerala High Court superannuated on January 5, 2025.

Out of a total strength of 34 judges, the Supreme Court presently works with 32 judges including the Chief Justice of India. With Justice Chandran's appointment, the bench strength would rise to 33 judges.