The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia has cleared the decks for Justice Ranjana Desai of Bombay High Court for elevation. Along with Justice Ranjana Desai, the collegium has also cleared Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court S. J. Mukhopadhaya, and Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court J. S. Khehar, for elevation. After these appointments, the Supreme Court will now have 31 Judges.

Justice Ranjana Desai is the fifth woman judge to be elevated to the Supreme Court and would be the second sitting judge at the Supreme Court. Till date, Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra has been the only sitting woman judge at the Supreme Court.

Appointed as a Judge in the Bombay High Court in 1995, and made a permanent judge in 1998, Justice Desai has been an erudite advocate, arguing for both civil and criminal cases. After working as a junior under Justice S. C. Pratap, she was appointed as the government pleader and public prosecutor in 1983.

Her husband is a radiologist and her son is a practicing advocate at the Supreme Court. She has completed her graduation from the Elphinstone College in 1970. She later studied law at Government Law College, Mumbai.

Born on October 30, 1949, Justice Desai has decided upon innumerable landmark cases, spanning the duration of her 15 year-long career. She was the one who upheld the conviction of the lone-surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks, Ajmal Kasab. While a prosecutor, she had also taken up the initiative of setting up the special court at Arthur Road to try the serial bomb blasts case. 

Thus, the Supreme Court reigning in the second woman judge, it indeed marks a cornerstone in its eternal progress.