New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, has recommended the names of three High Court Chief Justices for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court.
The three names are Delhi High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Augustine George Masih, and Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta.
The recommendation was made after the collegium considered the seniority, merit, experience, and judgments of the eligible candidates from various High Courts.
The recommendation has been sent to the Centre for approval and notification. If accepted, the Supreme Court will have its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges, as it currently has three vacancies.
The collegium said that the elevation of the three judges was necessary to cope with the increasing workload and pendency of cases in the Supreme Court, which has over 70,000 pending cases as of October 2021.
The collegium also said that it has adopted a transparent and objective process of selection, and has given due regard to the representation of different regions, communities, and genders in the Supreme Court.
