New Delhi:
As the Supreme Court completes 75 years on Tuesday, a ceremonial bench of all 34 judges, including Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, will assemble in Court Room No. 1 at 3.30 pm to celebrate the diamond jubilee year.
According to a circular issued by court registrar Mahesh T Patankar, formal bench proceedings will also be live-streamed.
A similar formal bench meeting was held in 2000, when the apex court completed 50 years.
The Supreme Court, which is the highest judicial body, was established with the coming into force of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950. However, it was inaugurated two days after India became a republic.
According to information available on the official website of the apex court, the inauguration took place in the Chamber of Princes in the old Parliament House, where the Federal Court of India sat for 12 years from 1937 to 1950.
First CJI, Harilal J in the inaugural proceedings. Kania and Justices Syed Fazal Ali, M. Patanjali Shastri, Mehar Chand Mahajan, Bijan Kumar Mukherjee and SR Das participated.
The Supreme Court functioned from the Old Parliament House until it was shifted 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 had inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebrations at the Supreme Court Auditorium. He also launched citizen-centric information and technology initiatives including the Digital Supreme Court Report (Digi SCR), Digital Court 2.0 and a new website of the apex court.
PM Modi had said, “Whether it is freedom of expression, personal liberty or social justice, the Supreme Court has strengthened India’s vibrant democracy.”
