The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the elevation of Justices NV Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi, and Atul S Chandurkar to the Supreme Court to fill existing vacancies.
On Monday, the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, recommended the elevation of three High Court judges to the Supreme Court of India. The recommended names include Justice NV Anjaria, currently the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Justice Vijay Bishnoi, the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, and Justice Atul S Chandurkar, a judge at the Bombay High Court.
Justice NV Anjaria, who began his legal career in August 1988 at the Gujarat High Court, has an extensive background in constitutional, civil, and labor law. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court in 2011 and became a permanent judge two years later. In 2024, he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
Justice Vijay Bishnoi, a 1989 graduate, has spent most of his career at the Rajasthan High Court, handling a range of cases in civil, criminal, and constitutional law. In addition, he served as the Additional Central Government Standing Counsel between 2000 and 2004, representing various state departments. Justice Bishnoi became Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in February 2024.
Justice Atul S Chandurkar, an advocate since 1988, initially practiced in Mumbai before moving to Nagpur in 1992. With a diverse legal background, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2013. Besides his judicial career, Justice Chandurkar is an accomplished author, having written legal books on Maharashtra’s municipal and rent control laws.
These recommendations come in the wake of recent retirements in the Supreme Court, including that of former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Abhay S Oka and Bela Trivedi. The Supreme Court, which currently has 31 judges, will be at full strength of 34 judges if these appointments are approved.
The Collegium’s decision aims to fill the vacancies left by these retirements. The formal resolution regarding these recommendations has not yet been uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website. If confirmed, the new appointments will help the Court function at its full sanctioned strength.