The Supreme Court on Tuesday welcomed five new judges to its ranks, taking the court’s effective strength to 37 (including the Chief Justice of India) and leaving just one vacancy against the newly expanded sanctioned strength.
The appointments follow the Centre’s decision to raise the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India, through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
Prior to the expansion and the subsequent appointment of new judges in May and June 2026, the court had a sanctioned strength of 34 judges. However, it was operating with two vacancies, meaning the working strength was only 32 judges.
The increase was aimed at addressing the court’s mounting pendency of more than 93,000 cases and enabling more frequent sittings of Constitution Benches.
Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant administered the oath of office to former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, former Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, former Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, former Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Chief Justice Arun Palli, and Senior Advocate V S Mohana.
Mohana will now be the second woman judge on the Supreme Court Bench, which currently has only one woman judge, Justice B V Nagarathna.
Mohana becomes only the second woman to be elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court, after Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018.
This is, however, not the first time that five judges have taken oath. For the first time, nine new Supreme Court judges, including three women, were administered their oaths of office by former Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on August 31, 2021.
Before 2026, the last major simultaneous induction of five judges took place on February 6, 2023, under former Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by sitting Supreme Court judges and members of the Bar.
The appointments are also the first to be recommended by the collegium headed by CJI Justice Surya Kant since he assumed office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. Reducing pendency has been among the key priorities identified during his tenure.
The Supreme Court collegium had recommended the elevation of the four High Court chief justices and Mohana on May 27. Following approval by the Union government and issuance of warrants of appointment by the President, the appointments were formally notified on June 1.
The inductions come as the Supreme Court prepares for a series of retirements in the coming months. Justice Pankaj Mithal is scheduled to retire on June 6, followed by Justice J K Maheshwari on June 28, Justice Sanjay Karol on August 28 and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma on November 29. The latest appointments are expected to help maintain the court’s strength during CJI Kant’s tenure, which ends in February 2027.
The recommendations, made by a collegium comprising CJI Justice Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, J K Maheshwari, B V Nagarathna and M M Sundresh, have also been viewed as an effort to improve regional representation and gender diversity on the Bench.
Announcing the appointments on June 1, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the President had appointed the five judges under Article 124(2) of the Constitution after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
The five appointees
V S Mohana:
A graduate of Government Law College, Coimbatore, Mohana began her legal career under Advocate M Panchapakesan before moving to Delhi, where she trained under Justice Indu Malhotra and Senior Advocate C S Vaidyanathan. She developed a substantial Supreme Court practice and was designated a Senior Advocate in 2015.
Justice Sheel Nagu:
Justice Nagu was serving as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before his elevation. He was appointed a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2011 and became Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2024.
Justice Shree Chandrashekhar:
Before joining the Supreme Court, he headed the Bombay High Court. Elevated to the Jharkhand High Court in 2013, he later served as its acting chief justice and was appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in 2025.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva:
Justice Sachdeva recently took charge as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Prior to that, he served as a judge of the Delhi High Court from 2013.
Justice Arun Palli:
Justice Palli was serving as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He began practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1988, was designated a Senior Advocate in 2007, was elevated as a judge in 2013, and became Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in 2025.
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