In a first, nine SC Judges take oath together

In the history of Supreme Court, nine new  judges, including three women, were administered their oaths of office by Chief Justice NV Ramana on Tuesday morning.  This is the first time that nine judges have been sworn in at one time. The ceremony was held in the court complex's auditorium building to ensure social distancing and adherence to Covid protocols; traditionally it is administered in the chief justice's court room. With the swearing-in of the nine new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court has now risen to 33, including the CJI, out of the sanctioned strength of 34. Justice Oka will be the most senior among the nine judges.

The new judges include Justice Abhay Oka (former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court), Justice Vikram Nath (former Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court), Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari (former Chief Justice of Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh High Courts) and Justice Hima Kohli (former Chief Justice of Telangana High Court), Justice CT Ravikumar (former Kerala High Court judge), Justice MM Sundresh (former Madras High Court judge), Justice Bela M Trivedi (former Gujarat High Court judge) and Justice PS Narasimha (senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General). Justice BV Nagarathna (former Karnataka High Court judge) was also sworn in. She is the daughter of former CJI Justice ES Venkataramiah.