The Ministry of Law and Justice has today notified the appointment of Senior Advocate Indu Malhotra as the Judge of the Supreme Court.

She is expected to take oath on Friday.

Indu Malhotra is the first woman to be elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court and only the seventh woman judge Supreme Court has ever had.

Malhotra will also be the second woman sitting judge of the Supreme Court. Justice R Banumathi is the sole sitting woman judge in the Supreme Court for over three years now.

Indu Malhotra was one of the two names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as Supreme Court judge. The other name recommended was that of Justice KM Joseph, the current Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court.

However, the Centre has refused to elevate Justice KM Joseph to the Supreme Court. In a press conference held today, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad finally revealed the reasons behind the Centre’s refusal to clear the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation to elevate Justice KM Joseph to the apex court.

The primary reason the government has given for its refusal to appoint Joseph J is the fact that he lacks the requisite seniority among high court judges across India to be elevated to the Supreme Court.

[Read the Notification]