New Delhi, May 30 – India’s Supreme Court reached its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges on Friday with the swearing-in of Justices N.V. Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi, and A.S. Chandurkar, following swift government approval of their appointments.
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai administered the oath of office to the new judges in a brief ceremony held at the Supreme Court premises. Justice Bishnoi took his oath in Hindi.
The appointments, recommended by the Collegium on May 26 and approved by the government just three days later on May 29, temporarily fill all judicial positions on the top bench. The court will maintain full strength until the retirement of Justice Bela M. Trivedi on June 9.
Justice Anjaria, whose parent High Court is Gujarat, was serving as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court prior to his elevation. Born in March 1965 in Ahmedabad, he practiced as senior panel counsel for several central agencies before being appointed a judge of the Gujarat High Court in 2011.
Justice Bishnoi, born in March 1964 in Jodhpur, was the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court. He began his legal career in 1989 and served as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court from 2013 before assuming his role in Gauhati in early 2024. Justice Chandurkar, born in April 1965, has served on the Bombay High Court bench since 2013. He began his legal practice in 1988.
The Supreme Court of India, the country’s highest judicial forum, has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice. Judicial vacancies and backlog of cases have long been a matter of concern, and the appointments come at a time of ongoing debate over judicial efficiency and court capacity.
The appointments are seen as a boost to the top court’s functioning, though the full bench will soon see a reduction in strength with the upcoming retirement.
