SC collegium recommends elevation of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, S Venkatanarayana Bhatti as judges in the apex court

The Supreme Court collegium headed by chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud Wednesday recommends Telengana High Court chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Kerala High Court chief justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti for the appointment as judges in the apex court.

The Supreme Court collegium, which also comprises Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant, took the decision in a meeting and the resolution was uploaded on the top court website today.

The Supreme Court has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges but is currently functioning with 31 after the retirement of three judges last month.

Justice Bhuyan has acquired a specialisation and domain knowledge in the law of taxation. He has also served as a judge of the Bombay High Court dealing with a wide spectrum of cases including taxation.

"His judgments cover wide-ranging issues pertaining to law and justice. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan is a judge with a good reputation for integrity and competence," the Collegium said.

Justice Bhuyan is currently the senior-most judge of his parent High Court and is presently serving as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court since 28 June 2022. He was appointed as a judge of the Gauhati High Court on 17 October 2011.

Justice Bhatti has acquired considerable experience in various branches of law during his long tenure as a judge of the High Court of Andhra High Pradesh and as a Judge and subsequently as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.

"The judgments authored by him dealing 4 with issues in various branches of law stand testimony to his legal acumen and competence. Apart from according representation to the State of Andhra Pradesh, the appointment of Mr Justice Bhatti will provide a value addition in terms of his acquired knowledge and experience. He commands a good reputation and possesses integrity and competence," the SC Colllegium said.

The Collegium noted that the parent High Court of Justice Bhatti (Andhra Pradesh High Court) does not have any representation on the Bench of Supreme Court since August 2022.

Justice Bhatti was appointed as a Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court on 12 April 2013 and is the senior most judge in his parent high court. He was transferred to Kerala High Court in March 2019 and is presently serving as Chief Justice there since 01 June 2023.