AMIDST A RAGING CONTROVERSY over the out-of-turn elevation of Justice Vipul Pancholi, who faced a strong dissent note from Justice B.V. Nagarathna, both Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Pancholi were on Friday sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court. The oath of office was administered by the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai.
Justice Pancholi, whose supersession of several senior judges has triggered debate on the functioning of the Collegium system, is in line to become the Chief Justice of India from October 3, 2031, to May 27, 2033. With the swearing-in of both judges, the Supreme Court will now function with its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
Before their elevation, Justice Aradhe was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, while Justice Pancholi was the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. The Collegium headed by Chief Justice Gavai had, on August 25, recommended their names. Justice Nagarathna, however, recorded her dissent over Justice Pancholi’s appointment, noting that he ranked 57th in the seniority list of High Court judges.
Reportedly, Justice Nagarathna, the only woman judge currently in the Supreme Court, cautioned that the appointment would not only be “counter-productive” to the administration of justice but also risk the credibility of the Collegium itself. She stressed that several senior judges, including women judges such as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court Sunita Agarwal, Justice Revati Mohite Dere of the Bombay High Court, and Justice Lisa Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, were overlooked in favour of Justice Pancholi.
