New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud will administer the oath of office to two judges designate of the Supreme Court justices Ujjal Bhuyan and S Venkatanarayana Bhatti on Thursday.
According to the apex court website, the swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10 AM in the newly built auditorium in the additional building complex of the Supreme Court. The central government cleared the names of Justice Bhuyan, the chief justice of the Telangana High Court, and Justice Bhatti, his counterpart in Kerala, for elevation to the top court on July 12.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the elevation of the two judges on Wednesday. The Supreme Court has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the chief justice, and after the oath taking by the two, its working strength will go up to 32.
The Supreme Court Collegium last week recommended the appointment of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti, Chief Justice of Kerala High Court, as judges of the top court.
The Collegium in its resolution said that it resolves to recommend the appointments of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti by following the order of seniority. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant took the decision in a collegium meeting held on July 5, 2023.
In the resolution, the Collegium said that after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations, the Collegium finds the two persons to be deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
