Supreme Court Collegium Recommends 2 Judges for Elevation to Top Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, has recommended the names of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court. The collegium, which includes Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, and Surya Kant, made this decision in their first meeting. The Supreme Court currently has three vacancies out of a sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Filling these vacancies is crucial to address the backlog of cases and handle new matters.

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, born on August 2, 1964, is the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court and has extensive experience in various areas of law, particularly taxation. He has also served as a judge of the Bombay High Court. The collegium acknowledged his reputation for integrity and competence.

Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti, born on May 6, 1962, is the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. The collegium noted that the High Court of Andhra Pradesh has been unrepresented in the Supreme Court since August 2022. Justice Bhatti, with his experience in various branches of law and his reputation for integrity and competence, would bring value and representation from Andhra Pradesh to the Supreme Court.

In making their recommendations, the collegium considered factors such as seniority of chief justices and senior puisne judges, overall seniority of high court judges, merit, performance, integrity, diversity, inclusion, representation of underrepresented high courts, marginalized and backward segments of society, gender diversity, and representation of minorities.

The collegium ensured that the judgments authored by the judges under consideration were circulated among its members, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of their judicial acumen. The Centre for Research & Planning of the Supreme Court provided relevant background material to assist the collegium in its decision-making process.

With the collegium’s recommendations, it is now up to the Centre to proceed with the appointment of the recommended judges to the Supreme Court, ultimately strengthening the strength of jusdges and addressing the workload of the court.