Oath or Affirmation by High Court Judges
Official heading: “Oath or affirmati on by Judges of High Courts.”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part VI, Article 219, printed page 101
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Article 219 mandates that every person appointed to be a Judge of a High Court shall take a constitutional oath according to the Third Schedule before the Governor before entering office.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 219 prescribes the constitutional swearing-in requirement for High Court Judges.
Every person appointed as a High Court Judge must, before entering upon office, make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before the Governor of the State, or some person appointed in that behalf by the Governor.
The oath, set out in Form VIII of the Third Schedule, pledges true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India, to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, and to perform judicial duties "without fear or favour, affection or ill-will", upholding the Constitution and the laws.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A newly appointed High Court judge receives the presidential warrant of appointment.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 219 formalizes judicial allegiance and commitment to impartiality.
- Mandatory prerequisite prior to exercising judicial functions.
- Administered by State Governor or designated representative.
- Form VIII Third Schedule pledge of impartiality without fear or favour.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 219, printed page 101 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.