NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant administered the oath of office to five new Supreme Court judges on Tuesday, according to the Press Trust of India. The swearing-in ceremony took place within the apex court premises.
The induction elevates the top court’s working strength to 37 judges, the highest in its history. The figure falls just one short of the upgraded sanctioned strength of 38. The newly appointed justices are Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Arun Palli, and V Mohana.
The Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of Justice Nagu, the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Chandrashekhar, the chief justice of the Bombay High Court, Justice Sachdeva, the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Palli, the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, and senior advocate Mohana as top court judges.
The Supreme Court Collegium initially recommended the five names on May 27. The appointments came through in just four days.
Court Strength and Retirements
The government promulgated an ordinance last month amending a law to increase the sanctioned judicial strength of the apex court. The statutory adjustment raised the maximum number of judges from 34 to 38, inclusive of the chief justice.
Two sitting Supreme Court judges will leave the bench shortly. Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice J K Maheshwari are scheduled to retire on June 16 and June 28, respectively.
Justice Mohana is only the second woman in the country to secure direct elevation to the apex court from the Bar, following Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018. The 59-year-old jurist graduated from Coimbatore Law College in 1988 and has been practising as a lawyer since then. The Supreme Court designated her a senior advocate in 2015.
She becomes one of two serving women judges currently on the Supreme Court bench. She joins Justice B V Nagarathna, who has served at the top court since Aug. 31, 2021.
Justice Nagarathna is next in line to become the Chief Justice of India. She will hold the position for more than a month in 2027.
