In a sweeping effort to restructure the higher judiciary, the Supreme Court collegium, under the leadership of newly appointed Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai, recommended a series of impactful judicial appointments and transfers during its maiden meeting held on Monday.
Among the most prominent decisions, the collegium has proposed three elevations to the Supreme Court, the appointment of chief justices to five high courts, reshuffling of four sitting high court chiefs, and the transfer of 22 judges across various high courts in India.
The names recommended for elevation to the apex court include:
- Justice NV Anjaria, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, originally from the Gujarat High Court;
- Justice Vijay Bishnoi, Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, whose parent high court is Rajasthan;
- Justice AS Chandurkar, currently a judge at the Bombay High Court.
If these recommendations are cleared by the Union government, the Supreme Court will reach its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges, restoring its operational capacity at a crucial time.
The collegium’s decisions mark a strong start to CJI Gavai's tenure, signaling an assertive and reform-minded approach to judicial administration.
On the same day, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice issued notifications confirming the appointment of seven advocates, including one woman, as judges to five different high courts: Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Uttarakhand, Gauhati, and Bombay.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the development and reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening the judiciary. The appointments come amid rising concern over judicial vacancies, with 354 of the 1,122 sanctioned posts in the 25 high courts lying vacant as of May 1.
