NEW DELHI: Tuesday was a historic day for the Supreme Court as a record nine new Supreme Court judges took oath, the country moved towards getting its first woman CJI, and among those sworn in were three future CJIs and three women judges.
In an eye-ball grabbing event held in the 900-seater auditorium with strict compliance of Covid protocol, the focus was on 58-year-old Justice Bangalore Venkataramiah Nagarathna. On taking oath, she not only followed in her father E S Vankataramiah’s footsteps to the SC, but like him will go on to become the CJI in September 2027. She would be India’s first woman Chief Justice since the SC came into existence 77 years ago.
Credit for creating so many records on a single day goes to CJI N V Ramana and other collegium members Justices U U Lalit, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and L N Rao. They selected the nine unanimously on August 17 and the Union government approved the recommendations within a record 10 days.
Justice Nagarathna spoke a few poignant words to TOI. “I, as a judge, should exercise restraint and imbibe rectitude”. She understands that she will be under the constant scrutinising gaze of citizens all along her six-year long journey culminating with the top post in judiciary.
First among the women judges to take oath was Justice Hima Kohli, who began her career as an advocate practicing in the Delhi HC and in 2006 became a judge there. This year, she was appointed chief justice of Telangana HC.
The third woman judge to take oath was Justice Bela Madhyurya Trivedi. She was appointed Gujarat HC judge in 2011 and was transferred the same year to Rajasthan HC. She was transferred back to Gujarat HC in 2016 and had recently taken the Gujarat government to task for laxity in controlling the pandemic.
With these three, the SC would have a record four women judges at the same time, including Justice Indira Banerjee, who was appointed as SC judge in 2018. The first woman judge in SC was Justice Fathima Beevi. She too had traversed the long winding path of starting her career as a trial judge and getting appointed as SC judge in 1989. The country so far has appointed only 11 women judges, including the three who took oath on Tuesday.
From among the nine new SC judges, three — Justices Vikram Nath, Nagarathna and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha — would go on to become CJIs in that order. Other new judges are Justices Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Chudalayil Thevan Ravikumar and M M Sundresh.
