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PART VI THE STATES · CHAPTER V.— THE HIGH COURTS IN THE STATES

Article 224: Appointment of additional and acting Judges

The Constitution of India

1[(1) If by reason of any temporary increase in the business of a High Court or by reason of arrears of work therein, it appears to the President that the number of the Judges of that Court should be for the time being increased, 2[the President may, in consultation with the National Judicial Appointments Commission, appoint] duly qualified persons to be additional Judges of the Court for such period not exceeding two years as he may specify.

(2) When any Judge of a High Court other than the Chief Justice is by reason of absence or for any other reason unable to perform the duties of his office or is appointed to act temporarily as Chief Justice, 2[the President may, in consultation with the National Judicial Appointments Commission, appoint] a duly qualified person to act as a Judge of that Court until the permanent Judge has resumed his duties.

(3) No person appointed as an additional or acting Judge of a High Court shall hold office after attaining the age of 3[sixty-two years].]

Footnotes in the official text

  1. 1.Subs. by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 15 for art. 224 (w.e.f. 1-11- 1956).
  2. 2.Subs. by the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014, s. 8, for "the President may appoint" (w.e.f. 13-4-2015). This amendment has been struck down, by the Supreme Court in the case of Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and Another Vs. Union of India in its judgment, dated 16-10-2015, AIR 2016 SC 117.
  3. 3.Subs. by the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Act, 1963, s. 6, for "sixty years" (w.e.f. 5-10- 1963).

Questions on this article

4 questions in 13 of our papers cite Article 224. Try these from the free papers:

  1. 1. By a notification announced by the Ministry of Law and Justice on 3 July 2026, the President appointed three judicial officers, Smt. Sunitha Gandham, Shri Alapati Giridhar and Shri Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi, as Additional Judges of:

  2. 2. Consider the following statements regarding Article 224: 1. Additional Judges may be appointed to a High Court, on account of a temporary increase in business or arrears, for a period not exceeding two years. 2. An acting Judge may be appointed when a permanent Judge other than the Chief Justice is unable to perform his duties or is appointed to act temporarily as Chief Justice. 3. An additional or acting Judge may hold office until he attains the age of sixty-five years. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  3. 3. Additional Judges appointed to a High Court under Article 224(1) on account of a temporary increase in business or arrears hold office for a period not exceeding:

Practise questions on Constitutional Law