On Monday, Justice Joymalya Bagchi took the oath to become a judge of India’s Supreme Court. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna led the ceremony. His appointment was approved by the Union government just a week earlier, following a recommendation by the Supreme Court’s collegium on March 6.
This is an important moment because Justice Bagchi is set to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in May 2031, although he will serve for only a little over four months until he retires on October 2, 2031. The Supreme Court’s collegium, which includes Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka, and Vikram Nath, praised Justice Bagchi’s skills, honesty, and experience when choosing him.
Justice Bagchi started his career as a judge in the Calcutta High Court in June 2011. He moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court in January 2021 but returned to the Calcutta High Court later that year. He has spent over 13 years as a high court judge and knows a lot about different areas of law.
Importantly, since Justice Altamas Kabir’s retirement as CJI in 2013, no judge from the Calcutta High Court has reached this top position. Justice Bagchi will take over as CJI after Justice KV Viswanathan retires on May 25, 2031. Currently, there is only one other judge, Justice Dipankar Datta, from the Calcutta High Court serving in the Supreme Court.
With Justice Bagchi’s appointment, the Supreme Court is now closer to its full strength of 34 judges. His knowledge in civil, criminal, and constitutional law is expected to be a huge help for the court in the future.
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