CJI Chandrachud administers oath to 2 new judges, SC strength rises to 32

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Friday administered the oath of office to Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice S. Venkatanarayana Bhatti as judges of the Supreme Court.

Their names were cleared by the Centre on Wednesday. The notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on July 12 said that the President, in exercise of powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, has appointed Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice S. Venkatanarayana Bhatti, to be judges of the Supreme Court, from the date they assume charge of office.

The names were cleared by the Centre within a period of one week after the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, on July 5 recommended appointments of Telangana High Court's Chief Justice Bhuyan and his Kerala counterpart, Chief Justice Bhatti as the apex court judges.

With the swearing in of the two judges, the total number of judges at the apex court has now increased to 32 against the sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the Hon'ble President, after consultation with the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following 02 Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court of India," tweeted Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday.

Justice Bhuyan was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court in 2011. He is the senior-most judge of his parent High Court and before elevation to the apex court, he was serving as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court from June 28, 2022.

Justice Bhuyan holds a specialisation and domain knowledge in the law of taxation. He has dealt with a wide spectrum of cases, including taxation while he served at the Bombay High Court. "His judgments cover wide ranging issues pertaining to law and justice … (He) is a judge with a good reputation for integrity and competence," said the SC Collegium while recommending the name of Justice Bhuyan. 

Before elevation to the SC, Justice Bhatti was serving as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. He was appointed as a Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2013 and is the senior most in his parent High Court.

Justice Bhatti holds experience in various branches of law. "The appointment of Mr Justice Bhatti will provide a value addition in terms of his acquired knowledge and experience. He commands a good reputation and possesses integrity and competence," said the Supreme Court Collegium while recommending his name.