Centre notifies appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran as SC judge

The Centre on Monday notified the appointment of Patna High Court Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Currently the Supreme Court is functioning with 32 judges against its full sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI. Once Justice Chandran takes oath of office, the strength would reach 33.

Justice Chandran would be administered the oath of office on Wednesday, sources said.

Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal took to X to announce the appointment.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran, Chief Justice, Patna High Court, as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India," Meghwal wrote on the social networking platform.

The Supreme Court Collegium of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice AS Oka had on January 7 unanimously recommended the elevation of Justice Chandran as a judge of the Supreme Court.

“Mr Justice Chandran stands at Sl. No. 13 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges. In the seniority of Judges hailing from the High Court of Kerala, Mr Justice K. Vinod Chandran stands at Sl. No. 1. While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala,” the Collegium said in its resolution.

Justice Vinod Chandran was appointed a judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011 and was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on March 23, 2023. He has since been functioning as the Chief Justice of that High Court.

"He (Justice Chandran) has served as a Judge of the High Court for more than 11 years and as a Chief Justice of a big High Court for more than a year. During his long tenure as a Judge and Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law," the Collegium said.