Madras High Court bench strength rises to 67 as two new judges take oath

The Madras High Court has further expanded its judicial capacity with the swearing-in of two new judges, lifting its active bench strength to 67.

Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari administered the oath of office to Justice D. Lingeswaran and Justice B. Karthikeyan on Thursday, formally handing over their Presidential warrants of appointment. Both judges have been elevated from the state's district judiciary after years of service across trial courts in Tamil Nadu.

The additions mark another practical step in steadying bench capacity and accelerating case disposal in one of the country's oldest and busiest chartered high courts.

Bench numbers after the appointments

With these inductions, the working strength of the High Court moves up from 65 to 67, closing the gap towards its full sanctioned limit of 75 judges.

Among the 67 sitting judges, 56 are permanent judges, while the remaining 11 serve as additional judges for a fixed term.

Experience from the district judiciary

Introducing the newly sworn-in judges during the ceremony, Advocate General Vijay Narayan outlined their extensive administrative and judicial backgrounds across Tamil Nadu.

Justice Lingeswaran comes from Radhapuram Taluk in Tirunelveli district. He joined the district judiciary in January 2014 and handled diverse assignments across several district courts before his elevation.

Justice Karthikeyan, a native of Thanjavur district, entered judicial service in the same January 2014 recruitment batch. He similarly served in multiple districts across the state in various judicial capacities, gaining deep familiarity with grass-roots trial administration.

Strengthening institutional capacity

The steady induction of seasoned trial judges brings direct ground experience to the High Court bench. Senior advocates and judicial officers attending the ceremony noted that filling vacancies from within the judicial service provides continuity, reinforces institutional competence, and directly addresses the pending docket across principal and circuit benches.