Amid appointment row, Indu Malhotra takes oath as Supreme Court judge

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 27

Senior advocate Indu Malhotra was today administered the oath of office as a Supreme Court judge by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, making her the first woman lawyer to enter the top judiciary directly.

Malhotra was administered the oath of office and secrecy in a ceremony held at court number 1 in the apex court.

Currently, the Supreme Court is functioning with only 26 judges against a sanctioned strength of 31 judges. Malhotra’s appointment will take the number of judges in the top court to 27.

On Thursday, lawyers led by senior counsel Indira Jaising moved the Supreme Court seeking stay on the appointment of Malhotra. However, a three-judge Bench headed by CJI Misra refused to stay Malhotra’s appointment, terming it “unthinkable”.

“What kind of prayer is this? It is unthinkable, unimaginable, inconceivable and never heard of,” the Bench, which also included Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud, told senior advocate Indira Jaising.

“Is it a demolition matter or a question of personal liberty? There is no question of staying the warrant of appointment,” it said.

Malhotra’s name was recommended by the collegium in January along with that of Justice Joseph for appointment as SC judges, but the government chose to segregate her name for elevation while sending back the Uttarakhand HC Chief Justice’s name to the collegium for reconsideration.