Justice BV Nagarathna, who is in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI), will officially join the Supreme Court Collegium on May 25.

Her inclusion follows the retirement of Justice Abhay S. Oka, who demits office today.

The Supreme Court Collegium, comprising the five senior-most judges, plays a crucial role in the appointment of judges to the apex court and in the transfer of High Court judges. For High Court appointments, decisions are taken by the three senior-most judges of the Collegium.

At the beginning of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud’s tenure, the Collegium included Justices Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka, Vikram Nath, and JK Maheshwari. With Justice Oka’s retirement on May 24, Justice Nagarathna—currently the fifth senior-most judge—will step into the Collegium starting tomorrow.

She will remain a member of the Collegium until her retirement in October 2027, which includes her historic elevation as the 55th Chief Justice of India. Although her tenure as CJI will last only 36 days—from September 24 to October 29, 2027—it will mark a significant milestone as the first woman to hold the top judicial post in India. Her term will be the third-shortest for any CJI in Supreme Court history.

Justice Nagarathna is the daughter of former Chief Justice of India ES Venkataramiah, who served as the 19th CJI. She began her legal practice in 1987 with KESVY & Co before shifting to independent practice in 1994, handling matters related to constitutional, administrative, commercial, and family laws.

Her judicial career began with her appointment as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2008. She was made permanent in 2010 and later elevated to the Supreme Court on August 31, 2021.

As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Nagarathna has been part of several Constitution Bench decisions and is known for her independent thinking and impactful dissents. Notably, she was the sole dissenter in the Constitution Bench verdict that upheld the Centre’s 2016 demonetisation scheme, where she held that the Reserve Bank of India had failed to apply its mind independently to the government's proposal.

Her contributions to constitutional jurisprudence and her upcoming role as the first woman CJI make her tenure a landmark in the history of the Indian judiciary.