New Delhi: The Centre has cleared the top court collegium recommendation for the elevation of Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice A.S.Bopanna to Supreme Court.

The warrant for appointment of the four judges to the apex court by the President Ramnath Kovind is yet to come.

With their elevation, the Supreme Court after a long gap would be functioning with its full sanctioned strength of 31 judges. At present there are 27 judges in Supreme Court.

Justice Surya Kant, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice A.S.Bopanna are at present the Chief Justices of Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and the Gauhati high courts respectively.

After the former Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Gavai, who at present is the judge of the Bombay high court, would be the second dalit Justice of India.

The top court collegium had recommended the names of Justice B.R.Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice A.S.Bopanna for elevation to the top court on May 9, 2019.

While recommending the elevation of Justice Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, the top court collegium had reiterated its April 12 recommendation for the elevation of Justice Bose and Justice Bopanna while rejecting the government request to reconsider recommendation for their elevation.

If Presidential warrant for the appointment of four judges to the top court comes tonight,  they are likely to be sworn in on Thursday or Friday.