The Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday recommended the elevation of Justice Joymalya Bagchi of Calcutta High Court to the Supreme Court..Justice Bagchi will have a considerably long tenure of over 6 years at the Supreme Court and will become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in May 2031 upon retirement of Justice KV Viswanathan. However, Justice Bagchi will serve as CJI only for a relatively short duration since he will retire in October 2031. Justice Bagchi will be the first CJI from Calcutta after late CJI Altamas Kabir who retired from office in 2013. The Collegium also took into account the fact that Justice Bagchi is eleventh in the all-India seniority list of High Court judges. "The Collegium has also taken into consideration the fact that, at present, the Bench of the Supreme Court is represented by only one Judge from the High Court at Calcutta. Mr. Justice Joymalya Bagchi stands at Sl. No. 11 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges, including Chief Justices," the Collegium noted in its statement published on the top court website..Justice Joymalya Bagchi was appointed as a judge of the High Court at Calcutta on June 27, 2011 and transferred to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on January 4, 2021. He 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 as a Judge of the High Court, Justice Joymalya Bagchi has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law," the Collegium said..[Read Collegium Statement]
