9 new judges appointed to Supreme Court, 8 from HCs, 1 from the bar: All you need to know

President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the recommendation for the appointment of nine new judges to the Supreme Court. On August 26, the Centre approved all names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana for appointment as apex court judges. The nine names include eight judges from High Courts and one advocate of the Supreme Court Bar. Senior advocate PS Narasimha is elevated to the top court directly from the bar.

The new additions also include three women judges- Justices Hima Kohli, BV Nagarathna, Bela Trivedi. According to the order of seniority, the latest induction has paved the way for Justice BV Nagarathna to be the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027, basis seniority, however, not by age but by the number of years a judge has been serving in the top court of the country. 

Here is all you need to know about judges:

• Chief Justice of Karnataka Abhay Shreeniwas Oka

One of the senior-most judges in the country, Justice Abhay S Oka served as a Judge in Bombay High Court between the years 2003 and 2019 and following that he took charge as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court in May 2019. His alma mater is Mumbai University & Justice Oka joined the legal fraternity in 1983. In the initial days of his career as an advocate, he practised at Thane District Court under his father, Shreeniwas W Oka. Later, he became a judge at the Bombay High Court. 

During his tenure as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Justice AS Oka ruled on several significant matters. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic induced nationwide lockdown, he was amongst the jurists who wrote judgements for the welfare of migrant workers and questioned the governance of the state in handling the pandemic and crisis. Notably, Justice Oka had ordered pothole-free roads and stated it as a basic right of every citizen.

• Chief Justice of Gujarat Vikram Nath

Born on September 24, 1962, in a middle-class family in Kaushambi district in Uttar Pradesh, Justice Vikram Nath has been a former Judge in Allahabad High Court. Before being elevated to the position of a High Court Judge at Allahabad, he practised as a lawyer for a period of 17 years. 

Notably, Justice Nath is the first Chief Justice of a High Court in India to live-stream its proceedings on YouTube during the nationwide lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• Chief Justice of Sikkim JK Maheshwari

Born on June 29, 1961, in the small town of Joura, of Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, Justice Maheshwari assumed office as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court in January 2021. Previously, he has served as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and Madhya Pradesh High Court. He has practised law in Gwalior before he was elevated.

His alma mater is Jiwaji University, Gwalior, and is currently pursuing a PhD in 'Medical Mal-practice in reference to the State of MP'.

• Telangana Chief Justice Hima Kohli

Born on September 2, 1959, Justice Hima Kohli is the first woman judge to hold the office of Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Previously, she was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. A graduate of St Stephen College, University of Delhi, she joined the Law Faculty at the University of Delhi after she finished her Post Graduation in History.

She was lauded for her role in compelling the CM KCR-led government to address the COVID situation and in ensuring medical oxygen supplies to the hospitals. Moreover, private hospitals had to scrap exorbitant fees they secured from COVID-19 patients. 

• Justice BV Nagarathna of Kerala High Court 

Justice BV Nagarathna might end the country's wait for the first woman Chief Justice of India. She is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in 2027, basis her seniority by the number of years a judge has been serving in the top court of the country. 

Born on October 30, 1962, Justice Nagarathna was appointed as an additional judge in 2008 and elevated to the position of permanent judge of Karnataka HC two years later. Daughter to CJI ES Venkataramiah, she started her law profession in Bengaluru and practised in constitutional law, commercial law, including insurance law, service law, administrative and public laws, laws relating to land and rent laws, family law, conveyancing and drafting of contracts and agreements, arbitration and conciliation. 

• Justice CT Ravi Kumar Judge of Madras High Court

Born on January 6, 1960, Justice Kumar is currently a judge in Kerala High Court. 

• Justice MM Sundaresh

Born on July 21, 1962, at Erode, Justice Sundaresh's alma mater is Loyola College, Chennai, and Madras Law College. He has worked as a Government Advocate between 1991 to 1996. Justice Sundaresh possesses extensive practice in Civil, Criminal (appellate) and Writ Jurisdiction in the Madras High Court. 

• Gujarat High Court judge Justice Bela M Trivedi

​​​​​​​Born on June 10, 1960, Justice Trivedi has served as a judge in the Gujarat High Court since February 9, 2016. Previously, she served as the Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court until June 2011. Later, she served as the Additional Judge of Rajasthan High Court. 

• Senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General PS Narasimha

Senior Advocate PS Narasimha has become the sixth lawyer in the 71-year-old legal history of India who has directly been elevated from the Bar to the Apex Court on the recommendation of the Collegium. This system for appointment of judges came into existence in 1993. Born in May 1963, Justice Narasimha was appointed as an Additional Solicitor General in 2014 and he resigned from the post in 2018. 

As a senior advocate, he has appeared in a plethora of important judgements before the Apex Court including the Ayodhya case wherein the top court had paved the way for the construction of Ram Temple at the site under dispute and directed the Centre to allocate a five acre-plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque. Additionally, he had appeared on behalf of the Centre before the top court in the Italian Marines matter. 

The apex court collegium, comprising CJI NV Ramana and Justices UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud, AM Khanwilkar and L Nageswara Rao had recommended these nine names for elevation to the Supreme Court.

(Image Credits: PTI)