The 5-judge Supreme Court Collegium has undergone a significant change with the retirement of Justices KM Joseph and Ajay Rastogi during the summer vacation. Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant have arrived as the new members of the 5-member collegium, responsible for recommending names for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court.

The current collegium members are the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Gavai, and Justice Kant. It is worth noting that Justices Khanna, Gavai, and Kant are in line to become future Chief Justices of India. Based on seniority, Justice Sanjiv Khanna is expected to succeed CJI DY Chandrachud as the Chief Justice of India on November 24. Justices Gavai and Surya Kant are next in line to succeed Justice Khanna.

The recommendations for High Courts are made by a 3-member collegium comprising the Chief Justice of India and the next senior judges. Following the retirement of Justice KM Joseph, Justice Sanjiv Khanna has become a member of the 3-member collegium. There he would be joined by Justices SK Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, the second most senior member of the collegium, is set to retire on December 25 this year.

The Supreme Court, which currently has a working strength of 31 judges out of the sanctioned strength of 34, will experience further vacancies in the coming months. Justices Krishna Murari, S Ravindra Bhat, and SK Kaul are all slated to retire in 2023.

After the summer vacation, the Supreme Court is scheduled to reopen on July 3. Earlier this week, a new roster of work for the judges in the Supreme Court was published, outlining their respective responsibilities.

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