India, March 17 -- Justice Joymalya Bagchi was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court on Monday, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna administering the oath of office. His elevation to the apex court comes just a week after the Union government cleared his appointment, following a recommendation by the Supreme Court collegium on March 6. Apart from CJI Khanna, the Supreme Court collegium comprises justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath.

With this appointment, justice Bagchi fills one of the two vacancies in the Supreme Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges. His tenure in the Supreme Court is expected to be particularly significant, as he is set to become the CJI in May 2031 -- albeit ...