The Supreme Court of India operated almost throughout 2023 with the full strength of thirty-four judges, which allowed it to dispose of an unprecedented 52,191 cases.
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ON Wednesday, the President of India confirmed the appointment of Justice Prasanna B. Varale as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.
It was only last Friday that Justice Varale's name was recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court by the Supreme Court Collegium comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose.
With Justice Varale's superfast elevation, the Supreme Court has returned to its full strength of 34 judges, filling the vacancy that arose upon the retirement of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul on December 25, 2023.
While recommending Justice Varale's name, the collegium had underscored that the Supreme Court of India operated almost throughout 2023 with the full strength of thirty-four judges, which allowed it to record an unprecedented rate of disposal of 52,191 cases.
The collegium had also noted that upon Justice Kaul's retirement, the burden on other judges had increased considerably, which made it necessary to fill the vacancy on the Bench as soon as possible.
Justice Varale was functioning as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. He hails from the Bombay High Court.
In its recommendation, the collegium had noted that Varale is the senior-most judge belonging to a Scheduled Caste community and the only chief justice belonging to a Scheduled Caste community among the chief justices of high courts across the country.
With the appointment of Justice Varale, there are four judges from the Bombay High Court in the Supreme Court. The other three are CJI Chandrachud and Justices Gavai and Abhay S. Oka.
His appointment has also increased the number of judges from Schedule Caste communities to three. The other two are Justices Gavai and C.T. Ravikumar. It is the first time the Supreme Court will have three judges belonging to Scheduled Caste communities.
Justice Varale was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Bombay on July 18, 2008. He was elevated as Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka on October 15, 2022.
In its recommendation, the collegium stated that Justice Varale has acquired considerable experience as a judge of the High Court of Bombay and as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka for more than a year.
"The judgments authored by him deal with a variety of issues in every field of law. He is a competent judge with unimpeachable conduct and integrity and has throughout maintained a high standard of professional ethics," the collegium stated.