Supreme Court Welcomes Five New Judges as Strength Increases to 37 Members

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday strengthened its judicial strength to 37 judges after five new judges, including four Chief Justices of High Courts and one senior advocate, were sworn in at a formal ceremony in New Delhi. The appointments mark the first set of inductions cleared by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

With the latest inductions, only one post remains vacant in the apex court. The expansion follows a recent ordinance by the Centre amending the law to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The move is aimed at addressing the growing caseload and improving judicial efficiency.

Among those sworn in is Justice Sheel Nagu, formerly Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who has extensive experience in civil and constitutional matters. He began his legal practice in Madhya Pradesh and was elevated to the bench in 2011, later serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

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Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, previously Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, also joined the Supreme Court bench. With a career spanning both civil and criminal law, he has appeared in over 140 reported Supreme Court cases as counsel and was elevated to the Jharkhand High Court in 2013 before becoming a Permanent Judge in 2014.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, who was serving as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, brings experience from the Delhi High Court, where he was elevated as an Additional Judge in 2013. His legal background includes graduating from the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and a long career in constitutional and civil law practice.

Justice Arun Palli, formerly Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, also took oath. Coming from a family with a strong legal tradition in Punjab, he previously served as Additional Advocate General for Punjab before being appointed a High Court judge in 2013.

Senior advocate V. Mohana’s elevation from the Bar is particularly significant, making her only the second woman advocate to be directly appointed to the Supreme Court after Justice Indu Malhotra. Her appointment also marks the first time since 2021 that the Collegium has recommended a woman for elevation to the apex court.

The increase in judicial strength is expected to ease case backlogs and enhance the Supreme Court’s capacity to handle its expanding workload, which has been a longstanding concern within the Indian judicial system.

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