Ujjal Bhuyan and V. Bhatti sworn in as Supreme Court judges today

• Image Credit: Google

• Jul 14, 2023 | Poonam Nath

The Supreme Court will now consist of 32 justices as opposed to the mandated 34 judges...

Digital Desk: Two Supreme Court judges, Ujjal Bhuyan and Venkatnarayana Bhatti, were sworn in by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on July 14 following the Centre's acceptance of their appointments on July 12.

The collegium has suggested the names of justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, and Ramasubramanian for a position as Supreme Court judge starting on July 5. These judges retired from the Supreme Court in June.

Bhuyan presided over the Telangana High Court, whereas Bhatti served as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. In 2011, Bhuyan was selected to sit as a judge on the Gauhati High Court. According to the collegiums, Bhuyan served as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court as well as a judge in the Gauhati High Court.

The proposal states that "Justice Bhuyan "has acquired extensive knowledge in a variety of legal subjects throughout his long career as a judge of the High Court. He has gained expertise and subject-matter knowledge in tax law. He has handled a variety of cases, including taxation, as a judge of the Bombay High Court."

On April 12, 2013, S Venkatnarayana Bhatti was appointed as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. In March 2019, he was transferred to the High Court of Kerala, where he served as Chief Justice. According to his recommendation, "Justice Bhatti has acquired considerable experience in various branches of law 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."

The Supreme Court will now consist of 32 justices in addition to the mandated 34 judges owing to these selections. In 2023, the Supreme Court has already appointed 11 judges, all on the advice of the collegium headed by Chief Justice Chandrachud.