Supreme Court gets four new judges

The Supreme Court has got four new judges with President Pranab Mukherjee signing their warrants of appointment on Wednesday.

Sources in the government on Wednesday said the file pertaining to the elevation of Justice A M Khanwilkar of Madhya Pradesh high court, Justice D Y Chandrachud of Allahabad high court, Justice Ashok Bhushan of Kerala high court and senior lawyer and former Additional Solicitor General L Nageshwar Rao to the Supreme Court has been cleared by President Pranab Mukherjee.

They are likely to take oath on on Thursday, the sources said, adding the notification may be issued on Wednesday by the law ministry.

Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda confirmed their appointment in a series of tweets.

The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their elevation earlier this month, the first since a new law on appointment of judges to higher judiciary was struck down by the top court.

These were the first set of recommendations made by the SC Collegium for appointment as judges of the apex court after the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act came into force on April 13 last. The new law which sought to scrap the collegium system was struck down by a Supreme Court bench on October 16 last.