CJI Ramana administers oath to 9 judges, law minister calls it ‘historic moment’

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana administered the Oath of Office to the nine Supreme Court Judges on Tuesday. The nine Judge Designates are Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Justice Chudalayil Thevan Ravikumar, Justice M.M. Sundresh, Justice Bela Madhurya Trivedi, and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha. This is for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court when nine judges had taken the Oath of Office in one go.

In another first, the venue of the ceremony is shifted to the auditorium. This is done keeping in view the need for strict adherence to Covid-19 norms. Traditionally, the oath to the new Judges is administered in Court Room No.1 which is presided over by the CJI.

Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday congratulated all the nine newly appointed SC judges, terming it a historic moment for gender representation as three women were among those who were sworn in as judges of the apex court.

“Hearty congratulations to the nine newly appointed Hon’ble Supreme Court Judges. It’s also a historic moment for gender representation as three women took oath as judges of the Supreme Court. My best wishes on assuming onerous responsibility and in their services to the nation,” Rijiju wrote.

The trio of Justices Hima Kohli, Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, and Bela Trivedi of Gujarat High Court and B.V. Nagarathna of Karnataka High Court will make it the largest appointment of women to the top court ever since its inception.

Interestingly, the first woman judge in SC received appointment only in 1989. Justice M. Fathima Beevi has been followed by seven judges, but instances are rare when the SC has had more than one woman judge.

As for Justice Nagarthna, she is reportedly in line to become CJI in 2027, through for a brief period of 36 days, which would make hers the third shortest stint as CJI in SC history.