For the first time in history, three women justices were recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, with one of them potentially becoming India's first female Chief Justice (CJI). They were among the nine people whose names were cleared by the Supreme Court's five-member collegium, whose verdict was released on Wednesday.
The Centre will have to approve the recommendations. In September 2027, Justice B V Nagarathna, the highest-ranking judge on the Karnataka High Court, has a chance to become the first woman Chief Justice of India.
Mrs. Justice B.V.Nagarathna is an Indian judge who sits on the Karnataka High Court. E.S. Venkataramiah, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is her father. After being violently held by a group of protesting lawyers on the grounds of the Karnataka High Court in 2009, she became well-known. In Karnataka, she has issued a number of major commercial and constitutional law judgements.
Justice Hima Kohli, Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, and Justice Bela Trivedi, the Gujarat High Court's fifth in seniority, are the other two women judges selected for promotion. The collegium, which convened on Tuesday, recommended two other chief justices for promotion: Justice C T Ravikumar of the Kerala High Court and Justice M M Sundresh of the Madras High Court.
In addition, senior lawyer P S Narasimha has been chosen for a direct appointment to the bench. If his identity is cleared, Narasimha will be India's sixth lawyer to be elevated to the Supreme Court straight from the Bar. Justice Rohinton F Nariman, who retired last week, was the latest person to be elevated in this way.
Narasimha formerly served as the Additional Solicitor General of India. With Justice Navin Sinha's retirement on Wednesday, the number of justices on the Supreme Court has shrunk to 24 from a sanctioned number of 34, including the Chief Justice. Following the retirement of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on March 19, 2019, no nomination to the Supreme Court has been announced.
