Today, February 6, marks the swearing-in of the five newly appointed Supreme Court judges.
The new five SC judges are Justice Pankaj Mithal, Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Justice Manoj Misra.
Sanjay Karol and Ahsanuddin Amanullah served as chief justices of the Patna High Court, while Pankaj Mithal, P V Sanjay Kumar, and Manoj Misra presided over the high courts of Rajasthan, Manipur, and Allahabad, respectively.
Here is everything you should know about the five new SC judges:
JUSTICE PANKAJ MITHAL
Since October 14 of last year, Justice Mithal, whose parent cadre is the Allahabad High Court, has presided as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
Justice Mithal, who was born on June 17, 1961, earned a degree in commerce from Allahabad University in 1982. He earned his LLB from Meerut College in 1985, and the same year he registered as an advocate with the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh.
He began his legal career in the Allahabad High Court in 1985 and worked as the organization’s permanent attorney. Between 1990 and February 2006, he served as the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University in Agra’s standing counsel.
On July 7, 2006, Justice Mithal was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court. On July 2, 2008, he was sworn in as a permanent judge. On January 4, 2021, he took an oath to serve as Chief Justice of the Common High Court for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
JUSTICE SANJAY KAROL
Justice Karol, the second-most senior judge, was a member of the Himachal Pradesh High Court cadre. He will take the oath of office on Monday. At the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
August 23, 1961, saw the birth of Justice Karol. He received his history degree from Government Degree College in Shimla with honours. He attended the famed St. Edward School in Shimla.
He is a Kangra district native who graduated from Himachal Pradesh University with a law degree before enrolling as an advocate in 1986. Justice Karol has experience working at the Supreme Court as well as other courts. He has expertise in situations involving the Constitution, taxes, corporations, criminal offences, and civil disputes. In 1999, he received the designation of senior advocate.
Justice Karol was raised to the position of judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on March 8, 2007, and served as the state’s advocate general from 1998 to 2003. With effect from April 25, 2017, he was appointed as the high court’s temporary Chief Justice. On November 9, 2018, and on November 11, 2019, he was named Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court and the Patna High Court, respectively.
JUSTICE P V SANJAY KUMAR
In the list of five judges, Justice Kumar, who was formerly a member of the Telangana High Court, ranks third in seniority. When his nomination was approved for elevation to the Supreme Court, he was serving as Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court.
He was born on August 14, 1963, graduated from Nizam College in Hyderabad with a degree in commerce, and in 1988, Delhi University awarded him an LLB. At August 1988, Justice Kumar registered as a member of the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council. From 2000 to 2003, he worked as a government pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
On August 8, 2008, the Andhra Pradesh High Court elevated him to the bench as an additional judge. On January 20, 2010, he took office as a permanent judge of the court. On October 14, 2019, Justice Kumar began serving as a judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. On February 14, 2021, he took his oath to serve as the Manipur High Court’s Chief Justice.
JUSTICE AHSANUDDIN AMANULLAH
The fourth judge on the list who has been appointed for the judgeship in the supreme court is Justice Amanullah of the Patna High Court.
He registered with the Bihar State Bar Council on September 27, 1991, after his birth on May 11, 1963. From March 2006 until August 2010, he served as the state’s standing counsel.
Prior to being appointed a judge in the Patna High Court on June 20, 2011, he practised as a government lawyer there. On October 10, 2021, he was moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court, then on June 20, 2022, he was moved back to the Patna High Court.
JUSTICE MANOJ MISRA
On June 2, 1965, Justice Misra was born. On December 12, 1988, he registered as an advocate, and on November 21, 2011, he was promoted to the position of additional judge on the Allahabad High Court. On August 6, 2013, he took his oath as a permanent judge.
