The Centre has approved all nine names recommended by theSupreme Court Collegium, including three women judges, for the appointment asjudges to the top court.
According to sources familiar with the development, thenames have been sent to the President for approval.
Last week, the Supreme Court Collegium, which is headedby Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprises Justices -- U.U. Lalit, A.M.Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao, had recommended nine names,including eight high court judges and a senior advocate for the elevation tothe top court.
Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Karnataka High Court is inline to become the first woman Chief Justice of India. Justice Nagarathna'sfather, Justice E.S. Venkataramiah had been a CJI for a few months in 1989.
Supreme Court judge Justice Navin Sinha retired on August18, which left 10 vacancies against sanctioned strength of 35 in the top court.There was no appointment after September 2019. After the nine judges are swornin, the top court will be left with only one vacancy.
The other two women judges selected by the Collegium areJustice Hima Kohli, who is the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court andJustice Bela Trivedi, who is a judge at the Gujarat High Court.
Senior advocate P.S. Narasimha is the Collegium's choicefor the direct appointment to the bench. Narasimha's recommendation has comeafter the retirement of Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, who was the fifth lawyerto be directly appointed from the bar. Justice Nariman retired on August 12.
Other names finalised by the collegium are -- JusticeAbhay Shreeniwas Oka, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court; Vikram Nath, ChiefJustice of Gujarat High Court; Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Chief Justiceof Sikkim High Court; Justice C.T. Ravikumar, judge in Kerala High Court; andJustice M.M. Sundresh, judge in Kerala High Court.
It is probably the first time nine judges have beenrecommended for elevation by the Collegium, and the Centre has approved all thenames.