Two new judges sworn-in, SC at full strength

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday administered oath of office to two new judges of the Supreme Court (SC).

Justices Rajesh Bindal and Justice Aravind Kumar took oath as Supreme Court judges taking the court to its full working strength of 34 judges.

On January 31, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended the elevation of Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Aravind Kumar as judges to the apex court. Justice Bindal was the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court and Justice Kumar was the Chief Justice Gujarat High Court.

The collegium’s resolution published on the apex court website had said: “After carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations, the Collegium finds the following persons to be more deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India: Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, (PHC: Punjab & Haryana), and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat, (PHC: Karnataka)”.

The collegium is headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprises Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, K.M. Joseph, M.R. Shah, Ajay Rastogi and Sanjiv Khanna.