Next on Collegium agenda: Filling up vacancies in Supreme Court, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• All 25 High Courts across India now have regular Chief Justices following eight recent appointments.
• The Centre notified these appointments based on recommendations from the Supreme Court Collegium.
• The Supreme Court Collegium will now focus on filling four existing vacancies in the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court's sanctioned strength was increased in May by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
• Key considerations for the Collegium include gender representation and the line of succession for the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Detailed Insights:

• The eight appointments included seven based on Supreme Court Collegium recommendations from August 6 and August 31, and one separate appointment for Chhattisgarh.
• The Supreme Court currently operates with 34 judges, which is four short of its increased sanctioned strength.
• An additional vacancy will arise on November 29 with the retirement of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.
• CJI Surya Kant, who assumed office on November 24 last year, is set to retire on February 9, 2027, making these his final recommendations.
• The Supreme Court currently has only one woman judge, Justice Nagaratna, who is also a member of the five-member Collegium.
• Among sitting High Court Chief Justices, Justices Sunita Agarwal, Lisa Gill, and Revati Mohite Dere are the only women judges.
• The CJI succession is traditionally governed by a seniority convention, with Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagaratna, P S Narasimha, J B Pardiwala, K V Viswanathan, Joymalya Bagchi, and Dipak Pankoli in line until May 2033.
• To be considered for the CJI post in the future, new appointees would need to serve beyond May 2033.
• Only three of the recently appointed High Court Chief Justices—Justices Pushpendra Singh Bhati, Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje, and Ashwani Kumar Mishra—meet this criterion.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Supreme Court Collegium: A system of appointment and transfer of judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts through a body comprising the CJI and senior-most judges.
• Sanctioned Strength: The maximum number of judges legally permitted to serve in a particular court.
• Seniority Convention: The established practice of appointing the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of India.
• Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026: A legislative instrument that increased the total number of judges in the Supreme Court.