Centre Notifies Appointment Of Two Judges To Apex Court, Full Strength Of 34 Judges Upon Their Swearing In

Their appointments were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium on July 11. Once sworn in, the Supreme Court will operate at its full strength of 34 judges.

Justice Singh has been serving as Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court since February 2023. Originally from Manipur, his confirmation would mark him as the first Supreme Court judge from the state.

Born on March 1, 1963, in Imphal, Manipur, Justice Singh is the son of the late Justice N Ibotombi Singh of the Gauhati High Court and N Gomati Devi. He began his legal career briefly practicing before the Supreme Court of India before moving to the Gauhati High Court, where he was appointed Senior Advocate in 2008. He became an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court in 2011 and a permanent judge in 2012. Following the creation of the Manipur High Court in 2013, he served as a judge there before transferring back to the Gauhati High Court in 2018 and subsequently being elevated to Chief Justice.

The notification dated July 16, 2024 read, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu 8c Kashmir and Ladakh, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.”

Justice Mahadevan has been Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court since May 2024. He graduated from Madras Law College in 1989 and practiced law for 25 years, specializing in civil, criminal, and writ matters with a focus on indirect taxes, customs, and Central Excise. He held prominent positions including Additional Government Pleader (Taxes) for the Government of Tamil Nadu and Additional Central Government Standing Counsel and Senior Panel Counsel for the Government of India at the Madras High Court, handling more than 9,000 cases.

He was appointed as a judge of the Madras High Court in 2013.

The notification dated July 16, 2024 read, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice R. Mahadevan, Judge, Madras High Court, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.”