Who is Justice Vinod Chandran? Who took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday administered the oath of office to Vinod Chandran, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, as a Justice of the Supreme Court. With the swearing in of Justice Chandran, the number of justices in the Supreme Court has increased to 33. The total sanctioned strength of judges, including the Chief Justice, is 34 and currently one post is vacant. On January 13, the Center had approved the proposal of the Supreme Court Collegium, in which Justice Chandran was recommended to be made a judge of the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice in Bihar High Court

The five-judge collegium led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, in its meeting held on January 7, recommended the name of Justice Chandran, who was appointed judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011. Justice Chandran was appointed Chief Justice of Patna High Court on March 29, 2023.

Worked as a High Court judge for more than 12 years

“he/she has served as a High Court judge for more than 11 years and as Chief Justice of a High Court for more than a year,” the collegium’s January 7 resolution said. During his/her long tenure as Judge and Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Chandran has gained significant experience in diverse areas of law.

What argument did the collegium give?

Justice B in the collegium of the Supreme Court. R. Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Abhay Oka, who noted that Justice Chandran is ranked 13th in the seniority list of High Court judges. According to the proposal, ‘In the seniority list of judges coming from Kerala High Court, Justice K. Vinod Chandran is at number one. While recommending his/her name, the collegium has taken into account the fact that there is no representation on the Supreme Court bench from the Kerala High Court.’

The resolution said, ‘Therefore, the Collegium unanimously recommends that Justice K. Vinod Chandran should be appointed as the judge of the Supreme Court of India.

(With agency inputs)