On January 19, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the appointment of Chief Justice Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale of the Karnataka High Court as a judge to the Supreme Court.
Justice Varale has held the position of Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court since October 15, 2022. Notably, he is currently the sole Chief Justice from a Scheduled Caste community and is the most senior High Court judge belonging to this category.
Should his appointment be confirmed, Justice Varale would fill the only vacancy in the apex court, which arose following the retirement of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul on December 25. Following Justice Varale’s elevation, the Collegium has recommended Justice Pratinidhi Srinivasacharya Dinesh Kumar to assume the role of Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
Justice Kumar is set to retire on February 24, 2024. If appointed as Chief Justice, he would have a tenure slightly over a month. Justice Varale’s original High Court is the Bombay High Court, where he was appointed as a judge on July 18, 2008. Notably, there are already three judges from the Bombay High Court serving on the Supreme Court Bench.
‘Unimpeachable conduct’
Justice Varale, described by the Collegium as a judge of “unimpeachable conduct and integrity,” brings 23 years of legal practice to his role, predating his appointment as a High Court judge. He currently holds the sixth position in the combined all-India seniority list of High Court judges.
In its resolution, the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, restated its commitment to ensuring the Supreme Court functions without any vacancies, considering the increasing workload. The resolution noted, “Bearing in mind that the workload of judges has increased considerably, it has become necessary to ensure that the court has full working judge strength at all times.”
The sanctioned judicial strength of the court stands at 34 judges. The resolution highlighted that the Supreme Court operated nearly throughout the previous year with a full complement of 34 judges, achieving an unprecedented rate of disposal by resolving 52,191 cases in the calendar year 2023.
