Indu Malhotra – First Woman Lawyer Appointed As SC Judge

New Delhi: With the Centre clearing the name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra for appointment to the Supreme Court, she is all set to become the first woman from the bar to be directly elevated to the Bench.

She will take her oath as an apex court judge on Friday.

Malhotra, whose name was unanimously cleared by the Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, will be the seventh woman judge of the apex court since independence and add to the existing strength of 24 judges in the top court.

Hailing from a family of lawyers, Malhotra is an expert on arbitration and has appeared in various domestic and international commercial arbitration. She has also co-authored a  book – The Law and Practice of Arbitration in India.

She joined the profession in 1983 and was appointed as a senior advocate in 2007.

However, the decision to elevate Uttarakhand high court Chief Justice Kuttiyil Mathew Joseph, whose name the Collegium had also recommended, has been put on hold.

The Opposition dubbed it as a political move as Justice Joseph was part of the Uttarakhand High Court bench which had quashed the imposition of President’s rule in the state.

Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram targeted the Centre in a series of tweets.

“Delighted that Ms Indu Malhotra will be sworn in as Judge of the Supreme Court tomorrow. Disappointed that Justice KM Joseph’s appointment is still on hold. What is holding up Justice KM Joseph’s appointment? His State or his religion or his judgment in the Uttarakhand case? As the law stands now, the recommendation of the SC collegium is final and binding in the appointment of judges. Is the Modi government above the law?” he tweeted.