14 Supreme Court Judges Appointed in 2023
Acting on the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium, in 2023, a total number of 14 Judges took oath as new Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
The year began with concerns regarding judicial strength of the Supreme Court, with only 28 sitting Judges out of sanctioned strength of 34. However, the month of February saw 7 Supreme Court Judges being appointed, which was also the highest number appointments to the Supreme Court in a single month for 2023, thereby catapulting the number of Judges, which helped the Court to achieve its full strength of 34 Judges.
Like the preceding year, 2023 also saw a flurry of retirements in the Supreme Court, which resulted in the judicial strength fluctuating from time to time; but 7 new appointments in May, July and November, once again brought the Supreme Court to its full strength of 34 Judges.
However, no woman Judge was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023. Currently, Justices Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna and Bela M. Trivedi are the only three sitting women Judges in the Supreme Court.
Below are the names of the 14 new Judges who graced the halls of the Supreme Court this year-
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Pankaj Mithal
Justice Pankaj Mithal, who was elevated to the Supreme Court in February 2023, began his tryst with law in the 1980s. After 2 decades of legal practice, Justice Mithal entered the next stage of his legal journey when he was appointed as a Judge in the Allahabad High Court, and then as Chief Justice of the High Courts of Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Sanjay Karol
Justice Sanjay Karol was born on 23-08-1961 and hails from village Garli, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. He completed his schooling from St. Edwards School, Shimla and obtained a bachelor’s degree in history from Government Degree College, Shimla and a degree in law at the Himachal Pradesh University.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice P V Sanjay Kumar
Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar (PV Sanjay Kumar) was born on 14-08-1963 to late P. Ramachandra Reddy and late. P. Padmavathamma. He completed his graduation in Commerce from Nizam College, Hyderabad, and secured his degree in Law from Delhi University in 1988.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah was born on 11-05-1963. Justice Amanuallah earned his LL.B. degree from Patna Law College after graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry Honours).
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Manoj Misra
Born on 02-06-1965, Justice Manoj Misra graduated with a law degree from the University of Allahabad in 1988. He was enrolled with the Bar Council on 12-12-1988 and dealt in matters related to Civil, Revenue, Criminal and Constitutional sides at High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Rajesh Bindal
Born on 16-04-1961, at Ambala City in Haryana, Justice Rajesh Bindal did his LL.B from Kurukshetra University in 1985 and joined the legal profession in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in September 1985.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Aravind Kumar
Justice Aravind Kumar was born on 14-07-1962 in Karnataka and did his schooling at Bengaluru (then Bangalore) and his college from National College. Justice Aravind Kumar obtained his Law degree from Bangalore University.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra
Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra was born on 29-08-1964 at Raigarh (in erstwhile Madhya Pradesh and now a district in Chhattisgarh). His educational qualifications include B.Sc. and LL. B Degrees from Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh).
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice K.V. Viswanathan
Justice K.V. Viswanathan was born on 26-05-19662 to K.V. Venkataraman (a public prosecutor in Coimbatore). Justice K.V. Viswanathan did his schooling from Pollachi Arokia Matha Matriculation School and went on to study at Sainik School Amaravathinagar and then at Udhagai Susaiyappar High School.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was born on 02-08-1964, in Guwahati, to Suchendra Nath Bhuyan, who was a highly esteemed Senior Advocate and former Advocate General of Assam. He completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School, Guwahati before pursuing his higher education at Cotton College, Guwahati.
Know Thy Judge |Supreme Court of India: Justice S.V. Bhatti
Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti (Bhatt) was born on 06-05-1962 and is a native of Madanapalli in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Justice Bhatti obtained his bachelor’s degree in law from Jagadguru Renukacharya College, Bangalore.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Satish Chandra Sharma
Born on 30-11-1961, in the culturally rich city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma’s life has been a journey marked by excellence, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of justice. His illustrious career spans across various legal roles, showcasing his prowess and commitment to the legal fraternity.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Augustine George Masih
Born on 12-03-1963 in Punjab, Justice Augustine George Masih took oath as Judge of the Supreme Court of India. Dr. DY Chandrachud, CJI, administered oath to Justice Augustine George Masih on 9-11-2023.
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Sandeep Mehta
Born on 11-01-1963, Justice Sandeep Mehta took oath as the Supreme Court Judge on 9-11-2023. He previously served as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended appointment of Justice Sandeep Mehta, Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, as the Supreme Court Judge on 6-11-2023 and soon, the same received clearance from the Central Government.
*Did You Know? In 2023, Supreme Court achieved its sanctioned strength of 34 Judges twice- from February- May and from November- December (last working day of the Court before winter vacations).
9 Supreme Court Judges Retired in 2023
If the preceding year saw 8 monthly retirements, this year too had its fair share of farewells with 9 Supreme Court Judges bidding adieu to the Supreme Court in 2023. With Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul retiring in December, the judicial strength of the Supreme Court has come down from 34 to 33 sitting Judges.
January
Justice S. Abdul Nazeer Retires- Throwback to a Career of Four Decades
May
Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, a First-Generation Judge with a Legacy of Legal Excellence, retires
Justice M.R. Shah Retires: A Look at his Dynamic Tenure and Decisions
June
July
Justice Krishna Murari: Harbinger of litigants’ rights, bids adieu to the Supreme Court of India
October
A Legal Luminary Extraordinaire, Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat bids farewell to the Supreme Court
December
Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul: Retiring the Gavel with Honour and Legacy
Recommendations by Supreme Court Collegium
The Collegium led by Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India and the seniormost Judges of the Court had a busy year in making recommendations for appointments of Judges for Supreme Court and the High Courts of country (including Chief Justices for various High Courts). In 2023, the Collegium made over 220+ recommendations for appointments and transfer. These recommendations include 14 proposals for appointment of Supreme Court Judges in February, May, July and November, all of which were accepted by the Ministry of Law and Justice.1
In Memorium
In all the hubbub of appointments, retirements and other things, the Supreme Court also faced the sorrowful news of demise of Justice M. Fathima Beevi, who did the unthinkable in the late 1980s and broke the proverbial glass ceiling to become the First Woman Judge of the Supreme Court of India. She passed away on 23-11-2023 at the age of 96.
Late Justice M. Fathima Beevi’s entry into the higher echelons of Indian judiciary opened the gates for women all across India and Asia to dream big and achieve the greatest heights of success.
Anticipating 2024
As of now, the judicial strength of the Supreme Court stands at 33 sitting Judges. As the Court prepares to usher in the new year, it does not need a reminder that there are challenges ahead.
2024 will see 4 Judges retiring- Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the 50th Chief Justice of India, Justice Aniruddha Bose, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice Hima Kohli.
2023 did not see any new woman Judge in Supreme Court and with Justice Kohli retiring next year, the number of sitting woman Judges will drop dwon from 3 to 2.
The present Chief Justice also retires in November 2024. With Dr Justice D.Y Chandrachud retiring, Justice Sanjiv Khanna is likely to succeed him as the 51st Chief Justice of India as per the seniority rule2.
Given that representation of women in judiciary has been a point of worry for the Supreme Collegium, here’s hoping 2024 sees more women Judges making it to the Higest Court of the nation.
Collegium Recommendations
Supreme Court of India
The Collegium headed by Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India recommended the appointment of 14 Judges to the Supreme Court of India
1. https://main.sci.gov.in/collegium-resolutions
2. In 2024, Top Court will see exit of 3 judges & Chief Justice of India Chandrachud – India Today
