Justice B V Nagarathna to become part of Collegium after Justice A S Oka's retirement

New Delhi: Justice B V Nagarathna, in line to become the first female Chief Justice of India, is set to join the Supreme Court Collegium with the retirement of Justice Abhay S Oka on Saturday.

Justice Nagarathna, being the fifth senior-most judge now, will officially become part of the Collegium on May 25. She will be a part of it until her retirement as Chief Justice of India on October 29, 2027.

She will have a tenure as an apex court judge till October 29, 2027 and will have a tenure of over one month as the first woman CJI after September 23, 2027.

The Collegium will now comprise Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, Justice J K Maheshwari, and Justice Nagarathna. The Collegium picks up candidates for appointment from High Courts and the Supreme Court. It also decides transfer of judges.

With the retirement of Justice Oka, there will be a vacancy of three judges in the top court.

Born on October 30, 1962 at Bengaluru, Justice Nagarathna is the daughter of former CJI E S Venkataramiah.

She did her BA (Hons) in History from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University in 1984 and obtained LLB Degree in July 1987 from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University.

Justice Nagarathna started her practice in law in 1987. She was appointed as additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2008 and was made permanent in 2010.

She was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on August 31, 2021.