Justice PB Varale Sworn-in as SC Judge, Achieving Full Strength of 34 Judges

Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P B Varale was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge on Thursday, with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administering the oath of office.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in the Supreme Court premises, a day after the Centre approved his appointment to the judgeship.

With this induction, the top court has reached its full strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India, marking the first time it will have three sitting judges from the Dalit community. The other two sitting judges from the Scheduled Caste community are Justices B R Gavai and C T Ravikumar.

In its recommendation earlier this month, a five-judge SC Collegium led by CJI Chandrachud highlighted Justice Varale’s position as one of the senior-most high court judges and the sole high court chief justice from the Scheduled Caste.

The vacancy in the apex court arose following the retirement of Justice S K Kaul on December 25 last year. Justice Varale’s appointment came swiftly, within a week of the SC Collegium recommending his name.

The law ministry’s notification stated, “In exercise of powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.”

In its recommendation, the collegium noted the Supreme Court’s operational continuity throughout the previous year with a full strength of 34 judges, achieving an unprecedented rate of case disposal with 52,191 cases resolved in the calendar year 2023.

Recognizing the increased workload on judges, the collegium emphasized the need to maintain a full working judge-strength at all times.

Born on June 23, 1962, in Nipani, Justice Varale graduated in arts and law from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. He commenced his legal career by enrolling as an Advocate in 1985. Appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on July 18, 2008, he was subsequently made permanent on July 15, 2011. On October 15, 2022, he was elevated to the position of Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Justice Varale’s elevation to the apex court brings the representation of the Bombay High Court in the Supreme Court to four. The other three judges from the parent high court of Bombay are CJI Chandrachud, Justices Gavai, and Abhay S Oka.