Nine new judges administered oath of office by CJI, SC strength rises to 33

 Nine new judges, including three women, were on Tuesday administered oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court, taking its strength to 33

Nine new judges, including three women, were on Tuesday administered oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court, taking its strength to 33. It is for the first time in the history of the apex court that nine judges took oath of office at one go. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered the oath of office to the new judges in a swearing-in ceremony held in the auditorium of the Supreme Court’s additional building complex. With the swearing-in of the nine new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court has risen to 33, including the CJI, out of the sanctioned strength of 34. The nine new judges who were administered oath of office as apex court judges include Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B V Nagarathna.

Besides them, Justice C T Ravikumar, Justice M M Sundresh, Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice P S Narasimha, who was a senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General, were also administered oath of office by the CJI. Justice Nagarathna, the daughter of former CJI E S Venkataramiah, is in line to become the first woman CJI in September 2027. Three out of these nine new judges — Justices Nath, Nagarathna and Narasimha — are also in line to become the CJI. Traditionally, the oath of office to new judges is administered in the CJI’s court room but the swearing-in ceremony was shifted to the auditorium keeping in view the need for strict adherence to COVID-19 norms, a press release issued by the apex court’s public relations office on Monday had said.