New Delhi | Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday administered oath of office to Patna High Court Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran as a judge of the Supreme Court.

With the swearing-in of Justice Chandran, the working strength of the apex court has risen to 33 against the sanctioned 34 judges, including the CJI.

On January 13, the Centre had cleared the proposal of the apex court collegium recommending Justice Chandran as judge of the Supreme Court.

The five-judge collegium led by Chief Justice Khanna, in a meeting held on January 7, recommended the name of Justice Chandran, who was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011.

Justice Chandran was elevated as the Patna High Court Chief Justice on March 29, 2023.

The January 7 collegium resolution said, "He has served as a judge of the high court for more than 11 years and as a chief justice of a big high court for more than a year. During his long tenure as a judge and chief justice of the high court, Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law." The apex court collegium also comprising Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay Oka had noted that Justice Chandran stood at number 13 in the combined all-India seniority list of high court judges.

"In the seniority of judges hailing from the high court of Kerala, Justice K Vinod Chandran stands at serial number 1. While recommending his name, the collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala.

"The collegium has, therefore, unanimously recommended that Justice K Vinod Chandran be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India," the resolution had said.