The Supreme Court may get five new judges at a time when its strength has dipped to 23, an all-time low in recent years.
The Collegium led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar has recommended four High Court Chief Justices and an High Court judge for elevation to the Supreme Court.
They are Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Naveen Sinha, Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Chhattisgarh High Court Chief Justice Dipak Gupta, Kerala High Court Chief Justice M. Shantanagouder and Karnataka High Court Justice S. Abdul Nazeer.
The name of Justice K.M. Joseph of the Uttarakhand High Court may also be considered for elevation to the Supreme Court.
The Collegium is likely to meet again on February 14. The other members of the Collegium are Justices Dipak Misra, J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan B. Lokur.
Over 400 vacancies
The recommendation from the Collegium to the government comes at a time when the relations between the two institutions are fraught with tension on the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges and the delay in appointment of judges to the High Courts where judicial vacancies have crossed 400.
In the Supreme Court itself, the current judicial vacancies are eight. Three more judges are retiring in 2017. Again, in 2018, seven judges are retiring.
This would mean that by 2019, the face of the Supreme Court would have changed since more than half of its judges would be new, that is if all the vacancies are filled within that time.
