New Delhi: With the Central Government approving the names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on December 13 last year, the apex court got five new judges on Saturday. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju along with Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court Pankaj Mittal, Chief Justice of Patna High Court Sanjay Karol, Chief Justice of Manipur High Court PV Sanjay Kumar, Justice of Patna High Court Ahsanuddin Amanullah; And announced via tweet that Justice Manoj Mishra of Allahabad High Court has been elevated as a judge of the apex court.
When these judges take the oath of office early next week, the number of judges in the apex court will go up to 32. At present, 27 judges including the Chief Justice of India (CJI) are working in the apex court, while its sanctioned strength is 34 including the CJI.
Kiren Rijiju did this tweet
The appointments come amid strong observations by a Supreme Court bench on the delay on the part of the government in appointing and transferring judges despite the recommendations of the collegium. A senior government official said that these five appointments had nothing to do with the remarks of the bench and these appointments were made after a considered decision by the Centre. Such has been the career of these five judges-
Justice Pankaj Mittal – After graduating from Allahabad University in the year 1982 and passing LLB from Meerut College, Justice Pankaj Mittal has practiced in the Allahabad High Court since 1985. In January 2021, he was elevated to the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Justice Sanjay Karol- Justice Karol was appointed as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court on November 11, 2019. Earlier, he served as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court. Justice Karol has served as the Patron-in-Chief of the Tripura State Legal Services Authority as well as the President of the Tripura Judicial Academy. Karol was born on 23 August 1961 in Shimla.
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar- Justice Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court in 2021 and was earlier a Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was born on August 14, 1963, to the Late Shri P. Ramachandra Reddy, former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh (1969 to 1982).
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah – On June 20, 2011, Justice Amanullah was elevated as a judge of the Patna High Court and then transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 10, 2021. He was then transferred to the Patna High Court on June 20 last year. Amanullah was born on May 11, 1963, and was enrolled with the Bihar State Bar Council on September 27, 1991.
Justice Manoj Mishra – Justice Mishra graduated in law from Allahabad University in 1988 and enrolled as an advocate on 12 December 1988. After practicing on the civil, revenue, criminal, and constitutional sides of the Allahabad High Court, he was promoted to Additional Judge on 21 November 2011. He was sworn in as a permanent judge on 06 August 2013.
