Centre Clears Appointment Of Three High Court Chief Justices As Supreme Court Judges, Oath Ceremony To Be Held Today
The Ministry of Law and Justice has cleared the appointment of the three Chief Justices recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium to be the Judges of the Supreme Court.
The Central government on November 08 has approved the appointment of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Justice Augustine George Masih, and Justice Sandeep Mehta. They will be swearing today, bringing the Supreme Court's total strength to 34 judges.
Justice Sharma, currently Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, originally served in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Justices Masih and Mehta, Chief Justices of the Rajasthan and Gauhati High Courts respectively, were appointed from the Punjab & Haryana and Rajasthan High Courts. The appointments were made based on criteria such as seniority, merit, performance, integrity, diversity in terms of parent High Courts, and social background, as stated in the Supreme Court Collegium's resolution.
The resolution highlighted the significant backlog of cases in the Supreme Court, necessitating a full-strength bench. Justice Sharma, with expertise in constitutional, service, civil, and criminal matters, has been Chief Justice for over two years. Justice Masih, experienced in constitutional, service, labor, and civil matters, has served as a judge for several years. Justice Mehta, who has extensive adjudicatory experience, will bring valuable knowledge and expertise to the Supreme Court.