Supreme Court gets 5 new judges; CJI D Y Chandrachud administers oath of office

With this, the number of the Supreme Court judges rose to 32 as against sanction strength of 34 judges

The Supreme Court on Monday got five new judges.

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud administered the oath of office to Justices Pankaj Mithal, Sanjay Karol, P V Sanjay Kumar, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Manoj Misra as judges of the Supreme Court.

The programme was attended by Supreme Court judges, lawyers and family members of new judges.

With this, the number of the Supreme Court judges rose to 32 as against the sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

The Law and Justice Ministry on Saturday had issued notifications on appointment of five judges.

This has come a day after the Supreme Court warned the Centre of consequences over delay on recommendations made by the Collegium and the Attorney General R Venkataramani assuring the court of quick action.

The recommendations made for elevation of two other judges to the Supreme Court on January 31 are still pending before the Union government.

The Collegium system for appointment of judges has of late been questioned by constitutional functionaries, including Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, which was seen as the government's bid to secure a more active role in selecting judges.

On December 13, 2022, the six-member Collegium had recommended Justice Mithal, Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court (Parent High Court: Allahabad); Justice Karol, Chief Justice, Patna High Court (PHC: Himachal Pradesh); Justice Kumar, Chief Justice, Manipur High Court (PHC: Telangana); Justice Amanullah, judge, Patna High Court; and, Justice Misra, judge, Allahabad High Court.

On January 31, the Collegium also recommended the elevation of Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court as judges of the top court.

Brief profile of new judges

Justice Mithal

He enrolled as an advocate in 1985 after studying law from Meerut College. He did his graduation in Commerce from Allahabad University.

He practised in the Allahabad High Court before he got elevated to the bench as an additional judge in July 2006. In January 2021, Mithal was elevated as the chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir. In October 2022, he was shifted to Rajasthan HC as the chief justice. He would retire on June 17, 2026.

Justice Karol

Justice Karol graduated in history, before obtaining a degree in law from Himachal Pradesh University. He got enrolled as an advocate in 1986. He practised in the Supreme Court and represented Himachal in the inter-state water dispute. He also discharged constitutional duties as the advocate general of the state from 1998 to 2003.

In March 2007, he was appointed as a judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. Eleven years after serving as a judge, Karol was appointed as Tripura High Court’s chief justice in November 2018. In 2019, he was transferred to Patna High Court as chief justice. He would serve as SC judge till August 23, 2026.

Justice Kumar

Justice Kumar graduated in commerce and obtained a law degree from Delhi University in 1988. He got enrolled as an advocate with the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council, and served as the government pleader in the High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh HC in August 2008.

In 2019, Kumar was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court where he took charge as a judge on October 14, 2019. Finally, he was sworn in as chief justice of the Manipur High Court on February 14, 2021. He would retire on August 14, 2028.

Justice Amanullah

After graduating in science, he obtained his law degree from Patna Law College. Years after his enrolment with the Bihar State Bar Council in 1991, he was nominated as the standing counsel of the Bihar government in 2006. He also served as Bihar's Advocate General. He was elevated as a judge to the Patna High Court in June 2011. He was transferred to the Andhra HC on October 10, 2021, but was re-transferred to the Patna HC on June 20, 2022. He would retire on May 11, 2028.

Justice Misra

Misra completed his law from Allahabad University in 1988. He practised in various areas of law, including civil, revenue and criminal. He was appointed as a judge in November 2011. He would have a long tenure as SC judge as he would retire on June 2, 2030.