Ahmedabad: The number of vacancies in the Gujarat High Court fell to 20 on Monday as seven newly appointed judges were sworn in.
The names of the seven judges were recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on September 29. The Law ministry notified their appointment as judges of Gujarat High Court of Law & Justice on Saturday.
Smt. Mauna Bhatt, Samir Dave, Hemant Prachchhak, Sandeep Bhatt, Aniruddha Mayee, Niral Mehta, and Nisha Thakore were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar at a function at the high court, the Gujarat government said in a statement.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel, law minister Rajendra Trivedi, advocate general Kamal Trivedi, additional solicitor general SV Raju, and senior lawyers were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony.
The seven new judges significantly reduce the vacancies in the high court. As against the sanctioned strength of 52 judges, the high court strength has now gone up to 32. The appointment of justices Mauna Bhatt and Nisha Thakore means there are now six female judges in the high court. The others include justices Sonia Gokani, Sangeeta Vishen, Gita Gopi, and Vaibhavi Nanavati.
Chief Justice Aravind Kumar was also sworn in just last week following his transfer from Karnataka High Court.