<P> The supreme court saw its first woman judge when Justice M. Fathima Beevi was sworn into office in 1989 . The sixth and the most recent woman judge in the court is Justice R. Banumathi . In 1968, Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah became the first Muslim Chief Justice of India . In 2000, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan became the first judge from the dalit community . In 2007 he also became the first dalit Chief Justice of India . In 2010, Justice S.H. Kapadia coming from a Parsi minority community became the Chief Justice of India . In 2017, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar became the first Sikh Chief Justice of India . </P> <P> The Constitution seeks to ensure the independence of Supreme Court Judges in various ways . Per Article 50 of directive principles of state policy, the state shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive . Independence of judiciary, supremacy of the constitution and rule of law are the features of the basic structure of the constitution </P> <P> As per the Constitution, as held by the court in the Three Judges Cases--(1982, 1993, 1998), a judge is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President of India on the recommendation of the collegium--a closed group of the Chief Justice of India, the four most senior judges of the court and the senior-most judge hailing from the high court of a prospective appointee . This has resulted in a Memorandum of Procedure being followed, for the appointments . </P> <P> Judges used to be appointed by the President on the advice of the Union Cabinet . After 1993 (the Second Judges' Case), no minister, or even the executive collectively, can suggest any names to the President, who ultimately decides on appointing them from a list of names recommended only by the collegium of the judiciary . Simultaneously, as held in that judgment, the executive was given the power to reject a recommended name . However, according to some, the executive has not been diligent in using this power to reject the names of bad candidates recommended by the judiciary . </P>

Who appoints the judges of supreme court of india