SC Collegium recommends Calcutta HC judge Joymalya Bagchi for top court

The Supreme Court on Thursday recommended the appointment of Calcutta High Court judge Justice Joymalya Bagchi as a judge of the Supreme Court.

The five-member Collegium, headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, noted that no Calcutta High Court judge rose to become the Chief Justice of India since the retirement of Justice Altamas Kabir on July 18, 2013.

The Collegium also took into consideration the fact that the Calcutta High Court has only one representation in the Supreme Court bench at present.

If the Collegium's recommendation is cleared by the Centre, Justice Bagchi would have a tenure of more than six years in the top court, during which he will also serve as the Chief Justice of India.

The Collegium, also comprising justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath, noted that Justice Bagchi stands at serial number 11 in the combined all-India seniority of high court judges, including chief justices.

"The Collegium has, therefore, unanimously resolved to recommend that Justice Joymalya Bagchi be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India," a Collegium resolution said.

On the retirement of Justice K V Viswanathan on May 25, 2031, Justice Bagchi, born on October 3, 1966, would assume the office of Chief Justice of India till his retirement on October 2, 2031.

Justice Bagchi was appointed a judge in the Calcutta High Court on June 27, 2011. He was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court on January 4, 2021.

Justice Bagchi was repatriated to the Calcutta High Court on November 8, 2021, and has been functioning there since then.

He has served as a judge of the high court for more than 13 years.

During his long tenure, Justice Bagchi acquired significant experience in diver Joymalya Bagchi se fields of law.

If the government clears the recommendation, the Supreme Court will have 33 judges against its sanctioned strength of 34.

In a separate resolution, the Collegium recommended that Calcutta High Court judge Justice Harish Tandon be appointed as the chief justice of Orissa High Court, a post which fell vacant after the retirement of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh on January 19, 2025.

"The Collegium has, therefore, resolved to recommend that Justice Harish Tandon be appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Orissa," it said.

The Collegium found Justice Tandon as fit and suitable in all respects for being appointed as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.