BENGALURU: Five advocates took oath as additional judges of the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath to them at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.
The five judges are Krishna S Dixith, Shankar Ganapathi Pandit, R Devdas, B M Shyam Prasad and S Sunil Dutt Yadav.
The Ministry of Justice had issued a notification on February 9 appointing them as additional judges of High Court for two years.Now, the working strength of the judges in Karnataka High Court has increased from 24 to 30 (incding CJI), as against the sanctioned strength of 62.
At a function held at High Court, Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari sought the cooperation of judges, advocates and staff to take the Karnataka judiciary to greater heights. He expressed hope that, as defenders of the Constitution and counsellors of society, the advocates would support the Bench to fulfil the responsibilities towards society and ensure justice to all.
At a function organised by Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru, Justice Maheshwari said the contribution of Bar and Bench always lies in the progress of the society. “We have to work for the last person in the queue, and the voiceless people,” he said.
Senior Counsel Y R Sadashiva Reddy, co-chairman, Bar Council of India, expressed concerns over the ‘unfortunate situation’ in the High Court. “The Chief Justice should take steps to fill the vacant posts,” he urged. Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru president A P Ranganath also requested the Chief Justice to fill the vacant posts of judges as there was a heavy burden on sitting judges due to a huge backlog of cases.