New Delhi: The Union government on Friday announced the appointment of two additional judges to the Supreme Court, bringing its full working strength to 34 judges for the first time since May 2022.
The two new judges, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar, were recommended by the collegium on January 31 and will be administered the oath of office on February 13.
The elevation of these two judges follows the appointment of five other judges to the Supreme Court on February 4, after a nudge from a top court bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.
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The bench observed that unexplained delay in clearing names recommended by the collegium was creating “issues of faith” between the judiciary and the executive.
Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said that no timeline can be set down for filling up vacancies of the judges in the constitutional courts, as several high courts across the country are in breach of the six-month deadline for making recommendations for anticipated vacancies.
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Following this, the Centre has cleared the appointment of 13 judges for various high courts, apart from seven judges for the top court.