Senior Supreme Court lawyer Indu Malhotra sworn in as Chief Justice

Indu Malhotra – senior lawyer with the Supreme Court was sworn in as Supreme Court Chief Justice today by the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, making her the first woman to be directly elevated to the position of an apex court judge from the Bar as the others were elevated to the apex court from high courts. Her appointment has come amidst ongoing controversy over Narendra Modi’s government returning the recommendation on Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph.

The lawyers, who wanted a stay on the Presidential warrant of appointment of Indu Malhotra, were rebuked and Misra said it was “unthinkable, unimaginable, and inconceivable.”

Accepting the recommendation of elevation of Malhotra has made her the second woman to be given the designation of senior advocate by the apex court.

The fifth judge of the top court, she will have a tenure of a little over 3 years, retiring on July 19, 2020. With her swearing in, the strength of the SC is now 25 against the sanctioned 31.

In the 67-years-old history of the Supreme Court it is the third occasion when it has two sitting women judges together – the first being Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Ranjana Prakash Desai, then Justices Desai and R Banumathi and now Justices Banumathi and Malhotra.