The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the elevation of Telangana High Court Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Kerala High Court Chief Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti to the Supreme Court. This move aims to fill two of the three vacancies left by the recent retirements of Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, and V Ramasubramanian.
The collegium, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, passed a resolution stating,
“The Supreme Court of India has a sanctioned strength of thirty-four Judges and is presently functioning with thirty-one Judges. Thus, there are three clear vacancies. That makes it imperative for the Collegium to take steps to fill up the vacancies with a view to augment the working judge-strength to take care of the backlog of cases and the large institution of fresh matters.”
The collegium considered several factors while recommending the two names, including the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges in their respective parent High Courts, the merit, performance, and integrity of the judges under consideration, and the need to ensure diversity and inclusion in the Supreme Court.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011, has served as a judge of the Bombay High Court dealing with a wide spectrum of cases, including taxation. The collegium notes that;
“During his long tenure as a judge of the High Court, Justice Bhuyan has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law. He has acquired a specialization and domain knowledge in the law of taxation… His judgments cover wide-ranging issues pertaining to law and justice. Mr. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan is a judge with a good reputation for integrity and competence.”
Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti, appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on April 12, 2013, has served as a Judge and subsequently as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala. The collegium observed that during his long tenure as a judge of the High Court of Andhra High Pradesh and as a Judge and subsequently as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala, Justice Bhatti has acquired considerable experience in various branches of law.
“The judgments authored by him dealing 4 with issues in various branches of law stand testimony to his legal acumen and competence. Apart from according to representation to the State of Andhra Pradesh, the appointment of Mr. Justice Bhatti will provide a value addition in terms of his acquired knowledge and experience. He commands a good reputation and possesses integrity and competence,”
the Colllegium has further opined.
The collegium also noted that the parent High Court of Justice Bhatti (Andhra Pradesh High Court) does not have any representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court since August 2022.
The elevation of these two judges to the Supreme Court will not only fill the existing vacancies but also bring their extensive experience and diverse perspectives to the apex court.