New Delhi: The Amravati and Vidarbha-born Bombay High Court judge Bhu-shan Ramkrishna Gavai is among the four judges elevated to the Supreme Court, which will have its full sanctioned strength of 31 judges after a long gap.
Justice Gavai is 58 and may rise to be the second Dalit Chief Justice after former CJI K G Balakrishnan, as he has a long innings before he retires at 65. He mostly practised in Nagpur until his elevation to the High Court as an additional judge on November 14, 2003. In the Bombay High Court, he was No 3, after Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, who was recently shifted from Rajasthan, and Justice S C Dharmadhikari.
The other three judges to be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the SC collegium are the Chief Justices of their respective High Courts. They are Suryakant (Himachal Pradesh), Aniruddha Bose (Jharkhand) and A S Bopanna (Gauwahati). Sources said the four judges are likely to be sworn in either on Thursday or Friday.
While recommending the elevation of Justice Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, the collegium had reiterated its April 12 recommendation for the elevation of Justice Bose and Justice Bopanna while rejecting the government request to reconsider recommendation for their elevation.