Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Senior Advocate KV Viswanathan on Friday took their oaths as Supreme Court judges.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud administered the oath of office.
The Supreme Court’s sanctioned strength increased to 34 with the appointment of two new judges.
On May 16, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their appointment by way of a resolution.
On Thursday, May 18, the Central Government acted quickly and notified their appointments.
With the recent retirements of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari last week (Sunday, May 12) and Justice MR Shah (Monday, May 15), the Supreme Court’s current strength has dropped to 32 from a sanctioned strength of 34. This includes the chief justice and 33 puisne judges. Four more judges are expected to retire in the following months, creating additional vacancies.
KV Viswanathan, the tenth lawyer who has directly been appointed from the bar to the Supreme Court bench, is in line to be the Chief Justice of India from August 12, 2030 until May 25, 2031.
He will also be the fourth such person to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI), following Justices SM Sikri, UU Lalit, and PS Narasimha.
Viswanathan, a former Additional Solicitor General, has worked in the legal profession for over 30 years and has been involved in a number of high-profile cases.
He was a junior in the chambers of Senior Advocate KK Venugopal, who eventually became India’s Attorney General. The Supreme Court appointed Viswanathan as Senior Advocate in April 2009.
When he was recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Mishra was the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. On October 13, 2021, Justice Mishra was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
He is a former Chhattisgarh High Court judge and former Acting Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
“During his nearly twelve-year tenure as a judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Justice Mishra has gained significant experience in a variety of legal fields. His judgements address a wide range of legal and judicial issues. Aside from providing representation to the state of Chhattisgarh, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra’s appointment would provide value in terms of his gained knowledge and experience. Justice Mishra is a judge of integrity,” the resolution stated.
