Centre notifies appointment of Karnataka HC Chief Justice as SC judge

New Delhi: Acting promptly on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium, the Centre on Wednesday issued a notification appointing Karnataka High Court's Chief Justice Prasanna B. Varale as a judge of the apex court.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Prasarma Bhalachandra Varale, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," said the notification issued by the Union Law and Justice Ministry.

The name was cleared by the Centre within a period of 5 days after the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, on January 19 recommended the name of Chief Justice Varale for elevation as a judge of the top court.

The Collegium had decided to fill up the sole vacancy by recommending his name after Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul retired on December 25.

Following the swearing in of Justice Varale, the Supreme Court will continue to function with a full strength of 34 judges.

Justice Varale was appointed as a Judge of the Bombay High Court in July 2008 and was elevated as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on October 15, 2022. Before his elevation to the bench, he practised at the bar for over 23 years in civil, criminal, labour, and administrative law matters in the district and sessions court and in constitutional matters at the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court.

"While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that among the high court judges, he is the senior-most judge belonging to a Scheduled Caste and the only Chief Justice belonging to a Scheduled Caste among the Chief Justices of high courts across the country," the SC Collegium had said in a release.