5 days ago
Justice Chandurkar sworn in as Supreme Court Judge
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Nagpur: Justice Atul Chandurkar was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court on Friday morning, alongside Justices NV Anjaria and Vijay Bishnoi, restoring the apex court to its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai administered the oath of office in a ceremony held at the Supreme Court's extension building in New Delhi.
The appointments, notified by the central govt on Thursday, were recommended by the collegium led by CJI Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and BV Nagarathna on May 26. President Droupadi Murmu formally approved the appointments, clearing the way for the swearing-in ceremony.
While Justice Bishnoi took the oath in Hindi, Justices Anjaria and Chandurkar were administered oaths in English.
Justice Chandurkar's elevation fills one of the three vacancies created by the recent retirements of former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Abhay S Oka and Hrishikesh Roy. In keeping with tradition, on their first working day, the newly appointed judges joined benches in order of seniority, with Justice Chandurkar sitting alongside Justice Vikram Nath.
Born on April 7, 1965, Justice Chandurkar completed his schooling at St Vincent's High School in Pune, followed by higher education at Ness Wadia College and ILS Law College, Pune. He began his legal practice in Mumbai under senior counsel BN Naik on July 21, 1988, later shifting to Nagpur in 1992, where he practised extensively across various courts. Elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013, he eventually became the administrative judge of its Nagpur bench.
Justice Chandurkar has delivered several notable judgments so far in his career. In June 2024, he led a division bench that upheld a dress code enforced by a Chembur college banning hijabs and other religious identifiers, ruling it did not infringe upon fundamental rights. In September 2024, he concurred with Justice Gautam Patel in striking down the amended IT Rules that empowered the govt's Fact Check Unit, declaring them unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14 and 19.
In October 2024, he stayed the Maharashtra govt's attempt to reclaim over 116 acres of industrial land in Kandivali's Charkop area. Most recently, in March 2025, he dismissed a plea by a Dalit PhD student challenging his suspension by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for alleged misconduct and anti-national activities.
Justice Chandurkar also questioned the Maharashtra govt in March over the pending heritage status for Veer Savarkar's residence in Shivaji Park and barred any changes to the property's status until June 13.
The same month, he led a bench that ruled compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act should not be reduced by amounts received from Mediclaim or insurance policies.
Justice Chandurkar has authored two books on municipal and rent control laws in Maharashtra, underlining his expertise in civil and administrative law. His elevation is seen as a recognition of his deep knowledge and balanced judicial approach. He will have a tenure of four years and ten months and will retire on April 6, 2030.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by lawyers from Nagpur, marking a proud moment for the local bar, which has seen several of its members ascend to the apex court. Justice Chandurkar joins the list of eminent jurists from the Nagpur High Bar Association, including Justices Janardan Mudholkar, Ananda Sen, Vikas Sirpurkar, Sharad Bobde, and Bhushan Gavai.
Justice Chandurkar's Significant Judgments:
- Upheld dress code ban on hijabs in colleges
- Struck down amended IT Rules as unconstitutional
- Stayed state's attempt to reclaim industrial land in Mumbai
Nagpur Connection: Justice Chandurkar practised law in Nagpur from 1992
Previous Position: Senior judge, Bombay High Court, Nagpur Bench
