Overview

• The five-judge Bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai scheduled substantive hearings to begin on September 23.
• The core issue is whether a judicial officer who had seven years’ practice at the Bar before joining service can be appointed under the Bar quota as an Additional District Judge.
• The Bench will also decide whether eligibility must be assessed at the time of application, at the time of appointment, or both.
• The reference arises from an appeal against a Kerala High Court judgment that set aside a district judge’s appointment because he was in judicial service when appointed, a ruling the Supreme Court stayed in 2021.
• The Constitution Bench comprises Justices M.M. Sundresh, Aravind Kumar, S.C. Sharma and K. Vinod Chandran along with the Chief Justice.