Times of India1 hour agoPolitics1 min readIndia

Union Law Ministry Notifies Appointment of Three Judges to Supreme Court

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The Union Law Ministry notified the appointment of three new judges to the Supreme Court of India, raising the court's strength to 37 out of a sanctioned 38.
The appointees are Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Aparesh Kumar Singh, all currently serving as Chief Justices of various High Courts.
They are expected to take oath on Tuesday following their recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium on September 28.

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Why It Matters

The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, recommended the elevation of three High Court Chief Justices to the Supreme Court on September 28. The appointments aim to fill vacancies in the apex court, which has a sanctioned strength of 38 judges.

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NEW DELHI: Union law ministry Monday notified appointment of three judges for Supreme Court, taking the total strength of the apex court to 37 judges, including Chief Justice of India, against a sanctioned strength of 38 judges. The new judges will take oath of office likely Tuesday. The three new judges for SC are Justice Sunita Agarwal, currently Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court; Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court; and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. The three chief justices were recommended for elevation to the apex court on Sept 28 by the SC collegium, comprising of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh and P S Narasimha. Justice Agarwal will be the third woman judge in SC with Justices B V Nagarathna and V Mohana, the other two currently on the bench. While Justices Agarwal and Upadhyay come from the same parent HC of Allahabad, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh's parent HC is Jharkhand.

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With the latest appointments, Allahabad High Court has four representations on SC bench, the others include Justices Vikram Nath, who will be the next CJI in Feb, and Justice Manoj Mishra. Justice Agarwal and Justice Upadhyay were appointed judges of Allahabad HC in Nov 2011 while Justice Singh was appointed judge of Jharkhand HC in Jan 2012. Justice Agarwal became CJ of Gujarat HC in July 2023. Justice Upadhyay was appointed CJ of Bombay HC on July 29, 2023 and then CJ of Delhi HC on Jan 21, 2025. The law ministry also notified appointment of Saket court judicial officer Gurvinder Pal Singh as additional judge of Delhi HC, a two year tenure before an additional judge is confirmed as permanent judge of the HC.

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What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

The three newly appointed judges will take oath of office on Tuesday.
Very likely · Within days
Gurvinder Pal Singh will be confirmed as a permanent judge of the Delhi High Court after his two-year tenure as additional judge.
Likely · Within years

Open Questions

When will the oath-taking ceremony for the new judges take place?
Will the appointment of Gurvinder Pal Singh as additional judge of Delhi HC lead to his confirmation as a permanent judge?
How will the increased representation from Allahabad High Court affect internal dynamics within the Supreme Court?