He was appointed permanent judge of Kerala High Court on 6 July 1994.

[3] He became a judge of Supreme Court of India on 7 July 2008 and served until 27 January 2012.

[3][4] After retirement, he was supposed to have been nominated as the Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

[5] Subsequently, the government has been trying to appoint him as a member of the National Human Rights Commission but the opposition BJP has been staunchly opposed to the idea.

[6] The Sunday Guardian reported that Justice Joseph delivered only 10 judgements during his tenure of 1300 days.