When court is running with 45 judges against sanctioned strength of 62,these appointments are not small thing ah.
On May 29,2026,Union Minister of State for Law and Justice,Arjun Ram Meghwal,revealed that government has appointed three judicial officers as Additional Judges of Karnataka High Court . This came after formal recommendation by Supreme Court Collegium .
Newly appointed judges are Justice Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde,Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi,and Brungesh Mahadevappa . Meghwal announced it on X and also said,"I convey my best wishes to them."
And yes,appointments were sanctioned by President of India,Droupadi Murmu,in line with constitutional powers vested in her . This happened after consultations with Chief Justice of India,Surya Kant,which is how process moves in such judicial appointments .
Few points standing out here:
- Justice Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde,Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi,and Brungesh Mahadevappa have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Karnataka High Court .
- Justice Hegde will serve until March 17,2028,while Justices Shanthi and Mahadevappa will have a two-year term starting from their assumption of office.
- Karnataka High Court currently operates with 45 judges against sanctioned strength of 62.
And tbh,that vacancy number is main story behind this whole thing . If one High Court is short by 17 judges,then delays are not some mystery . Cases pile up,dates keep coming,and ordinary people keep waiting .
Supreme Court Collegium had earlier recommended these appointments during meeting on April 14 . Same month,Collegium also recommended elevation of four High Court Chief Justices and a senior advocate to apex court,as Centre is trying to expand judge strength to deal with rising pendency .
Then on May 27,President Murmu promulgated Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance,2026,which increased sanctioned strength of judges in Supreme Court from 33 to 37,not including Chief Justice . This followed Union Cabinet approval to amend Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act,1956.
But bigger question still stays there only . Appointments and increased strength are needed,no doubt,but will they actually reduce backlog fast enough for people waiting years for justice…
