Calcutta HC's Justice Bagchi appointed as Supreme Court's judge; Set to become CJI in 2031

Justice Joymalya Bagchi of the Calcutta High Court has been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India. His appointment was confirmed by the Union government on Monday, three days after the Supreme Court collegium recommended his elevation. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the decision on X, stating, “In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Justice Joymalya Bagchi to the Supreme Court of India.”

With this appointment, Justice Bagchi is set to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in May 2031, following the retirement of Justice KV Viswanathan. However, his tenure as CJI will be brief, lasting just over four months until his retirement on October 2, 2031. His elevation fills one of the two vacancies in the Supreme Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Currently, only one other judge from the Calcutta High Court, Justice Dipankar Datta, is serving on the Supreme Court bench.

Justice Bagchi was first appointed as a judge of the Calcutta High Court in June 2011. He was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh High Court in January 2021 before being repatriated to the Calcutta High Court in November 2021. Over his judicial career, he has handled cases across civil, criminal, and constitutional law. The Supreme Court collegium, consisting of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka, and Vikram Nath, considered his seniority, merit, integrity, and regional representation while recommending his elevation.

Justice Bagchi holds the 11th position in the all-India seniority list of high court judges, including chief justices. The collegium noted that since the retirement of Justice Altamas Kabir in 2013, no judge from the Calcutta High Court has been appointed to the country’s top judicial post. His appointment comes alongside those of Justices Soumen Sen, Ujjal Bhuyan, and Sandeep Mehta, who have also been elevated to the Supreme Court, bringing the apex court to its full strength of 34 judges.

The central government notified the appointments through the Ministry of Law and Justice on Monday. Justice Bagchi will have a tenure of nearly seven years in the Supreme Court before assuming the role of CJI. His selection follows the established seniority-based process for Chief Justice of India appointments.