Justice PK Mishra, senior advocate Viswanathan sworn in as SC judges
New Delhi, May 19
Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate KV Viswanathan were sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday. With their appointment, the SC now has the full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administered the oath of office to them at a brief ceremony attended by SC judges and advocates.
KV Viswanathan
- Born on May 26, 1966, former Additional Solicitor General KV Viswanathan is the 10th lawyer to be directly elevated to the top court as a judge
- Upon the retirement of Justice JB Pardiwala on August 11, 2030, he will become the CJI and remain in the post till May 25, 2031, if the line of succession is not disturbed
- He will be the fourth advocate elevated from the Bar to become the CJI, after Justice SM Sikri, Justice UU Lalit and Justice PS Narasimha
Justice Mishra and Viswanathan were unanimously recommended for elevation to the top court by a five-member Supreme Court Collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India on May 16, and the Centre cleared their names within 48 hours.
Justice PK Mishra
- Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra was appointed as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court on December 10, 2009
- He took over as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 13, 2021
- “There is no representation to the Chhattisgarh HC in the present composition of the SC. Justice Mishra has served as a judge of the HC for over 13 years and ranks at 21 on the all-India seniority list of judges of the HCs,” the Collegium had said in its recommendation.
Four more vacancies will arise by the second week of July. Justice KM Joseph (June 16) Justice Ajay Rastogi (June 17), Justice V Ramasubramanian (June 29) and Justice Krishna Murari (July 8) are due to retire. Two more judges — Justice Ravindra R Bhatt and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul — will retire on October 20 and December 25, respectively.
