Droupadi Murmu signs her first judicial appointment as President of India

New Delhi: Droupadi Murmu has approved her first judicial appointment as President, signing the warrant of appointment of Rajesh Sekhri as an additional judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

Murmu took over as the 15th President of India on July 25.

Sources in the government said this is the first warrant of appointment President Murmu signed.

"In exercise of the power conferred by clause (l) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Rajesh Sekhri, to be an Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," said a notification signed on Wednesday by an additional secretary in the department of justice here.

Sekhri was so far serving as a judicial officer.

The President signs the warrants of appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts.

As on July 1, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had a sanctioned strength of 17 judges but was functioning with 15.