5 New Supreme Court Judges Take Oath, Strength Rises To 37

Five new judges on Tuesday took oath as judges of the Supreme Court, marking the first set of appointments cleared by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

With the induction of the five judges, the Supreme Court's working strength will rise to 37, including the Chief Justice of India, leaving only one seat vacant. 

Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; and Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, have been elevated to the Supreme Court.

Senior advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana has also been appointed as a judge of the Top Court.

The appointments come weeks after the Centre promulgated an ordinance amending the law to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

Who Are The Five New Judges Appointed To The Supreme Court?

The five appointments to the Supreme Court include four Chief Justices of High Courts and one senior advocate elevated directly from the Bar. Here's a look at their backgrounds:

Justice Sheel Nagu

Born on January 1, 1965, Justice Sheel Nagu enrolled with the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh in October 1987. He practised in civil and constitutional matters before the Madhya Pradesh High Court and was elevated as an Additional Judge in May 2011. He became a Permanent Judge in May 2013 and later served as Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, he was serving as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Shree Chandrashekhar

Born on May 25, 1965, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar began his legal career after enrolling with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1993. He specialised in civil and criminal law and appeared in more than 140 reported Supreme Court cases as counsel. Elevated as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court in January 2013, he became a Permanent Judge in June 2014. His appointment is significant as it restores representation from Jharkhand in the Supreme Court. He was also recently part of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee that submitted its report in the Justice Yashwant Varma matter.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, currently the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, was born on December 26, 1964. An alumnus of the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, he graduated in 1988 and enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi the same year. He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2013 and has since held several key judicial assignments before taking charge as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justice Arun Palli

Born on September 18, 1964, Justice Arun Palli comes from a family with a long legal tradition. Both his father and grandfather practised law in Patiala. He served as Additional Advocate General for Punjab between 2004 and 2007 before being elevated as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2013. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he was serving as Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

Senior Advocate V. Mohana

Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana's elevation marks a significant moment in the Supreme Court's history. She is only the second woman advocate to be appointed directly from the Bar to the Top Court, after Justice Indu Malhotra's appointment in 2018. Her recommendation also marks the first time since August 2021 that the Collegium has recommended a woman for appointment to the Supreme Court. At present, Justice B.V. Nagarathna is the only woman judge on the Supreme Court bench and a member of the Collegium.