New Delhi:
With the Supreme Court set to complete 75 years on Tuesday, a ceremonial bench of all 34 judges, including Chief Justice Of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, will assemble in courtroom number 1 at 3.30pm to mark the Diamond Jubilee year.
The proceedings of the ceremonial bench will also be live-streamed, according to a circular issued by the court Registrar Mahesh T Patankar.
A ceremonial bench assembled in a similar manner in 2000, when the top court had completed 50 years.
The Supreme Court, which is the apex judicial body, was established on January 26, 1950, with the coming into force of the Indian Constitution. It was, however, inaugurated two days after India became a Republic.
The inauguration took place in the Chamber of Princes in the old Parliament building, where the Federal Court of India sat for 12 years from 1937 to 1950, according to information available in the top court’s official website.
The inaugural proceedings was attended by the first CJI, Harilal J. Kania and justices Saiyid Fazl Ali, M. Patanjali Sastri, Mehr Chand Mahajan, Bijan Kumar Mukherjea and S.R. Das.
The Supreme Court functioned from the old Parliament House till it moved to the present building on Tilak Marg, New Delhi, in 1958. The first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, inaugurated the present building on August 4, 1958.
On January 28 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebration at the Supreme Court auditorium. He also launched citizen-centric information and technology initiatives that include Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0 and a new website of the top court.
“Whether it is freedom of expression, personal freedom or social justice, the Supreme Court has strengthened India’s vibrant democracy,” PM Modi had said.