New Delhi: Justice BV Nagarathna, in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India, is set to become a member of the Supreme Court Collegium after the retirement of Justice Abhay S Oka. Being the fifth senior most judge now, Justice Nagarathna will officially become part of the collegium on May 25 and will be part of it until she retires as Chief Justice of India on October 29, 2027.
The Collegium will now comprise Chief Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice J K Maheshwari, and Justice Nagarathna.
According to apex court sources, CJI Gavai is likely to convene his inaugural collegium meeting on Monday to address vacancies in the top court and make crucial appointments in several high courts.
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After Justice Oka’s retirement, there will be a vacancy of three judges in the top court.
Under the collegium system, which came into existence in 1993 after a Supreme Court judgement, five top judges of the apex court recommend the appointment, transfer and elevation of judges to the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts.
The government can return the recommendation to the collegium under this system. It usually accepts the recommendation if it is reiterated by the collegium. But there have been cases when the government has returned the file again or has not responded to the recommendations.
Justice Nagarathna, born on October 30, 1962, is the daughter of former CJI E S Venkataramiah.
She enrolled as an advocate on October 28, 1987, in Bangalore and practised in the fields pertaining to the Constitution, commerce, insurance and service.
She was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on February 18, 2008, and became a permanent Judge on February 17, 2010. She will have a tenure as an apex court judge till October 29, 2027 and may have a tenure of over one month as the first woman CJI after September 23, 2027.
