Indira Banerjee becomes 8th woman judge of Supreme Court

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NEW DELHI: Indira Banerjee became the eight-woman judge of Supreme Court after the central government cleared elevation of three chief justices on Friday. Banerjee, who is a Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, will take an oath in the Supreme Court on Monday. 

This is the first time that the apex court will have three woman judges - R. Banumathi, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee.

A notification that was issued on Friday stated, "In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Kumari Justice Indira Banerjee, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, to be a judge of the Supreme Court of India with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office."

Banerjee becomes the eight woman judge of Supreme Court after Fathima Beevi, Sujata V. Manohar, Ruma Pal, Gyan Sudha Misra, Ranjana Prakash Desai, R. Banumathi and Indu Malhotra. She was appointed as the Chief justice of the Madras High Court on April 5, 2017. 

She is also the second woman to head Madras High Court, after Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar.

Apart from Banerjee, Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court K M Joseph and Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court Vineet Sharan have also been appointed as Supreme Court judges. 

The Supreme Court collegium has been recommending Justice K M Joseph's name for the past seven months now. After the appointment of these three new judges, the number of judges will be 25 in the Supreme Court.