SC Collegium recommends CJs of Karnataka and Gauhati HCs, Bombay HC judge for elevation to top court

The Supreme Court Collegium on Monday recommended the names of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice NV Anjaria, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi  and Justice Atul S Chandurkar of the Bombay High Court to be appointed as judges of the top court.

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The decision was taken in a meeting of the five-member Supreme Collegium led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai. Other members of the Collegium are Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice BV Nagarathna.

Once the recommendations are processed and the appointment of the three judges are notified, the working strength of the Supreme Court will reach 34.

Currently, the top court is functioning with only 31 judges against its sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI. The three vacancies in the top court were created by the retirement of CJI Sanjiv Khanna, Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Abhay S Oka.

Justice Bela M Trivedi is due to retire on June 9, 2025.

Justice Anjaria began legal career at the Gujarat High Court in August 1988 as a junior under senior advocate SN Shelat and went on to handle constitutional, civil, labour, and service matters.

He also served as standing counsel for the Gujarat High Court, State Election Commission, and Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, besides other state bodies before being appointed as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court on November 21, 2011.

Justice Anjaria became a permanent judge of the Gujarat High Court on September 6, 2013 and was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on February 25 last year.

Enrolled as an advocate on July 8, 1989, Justice Bishnoi was practised at the Rajasthan High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal, Jodhpur, dealing with civil, criminal, constitutional, service and election cases.

He also served as Additional Central Government Standing Counsel during 2000–04, representing Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Stamps & Registration, Co-operative, Labour, Transport, and Excise departments of the Rajasthan Government.

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Rajasthan High Court on January 8, 2013, and became a permanent judge on January 7, 2015. Justice Bishnoi was appointed as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on February 5, 2024.

Enrolled as an advocate on July 21, 1988, Justice Chandurkar began his legal practice in the chambers of senior advocate BN Naik in Mumbai. Later, he shifted his practice to Nagpur, where he handled a wide range of cases.

Justice Chandurkar has written two books -- The Maharashtra Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayats & Industrial Townships Act, 1965, and The Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999. He was appointed an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.