President Appoints Five Judges to the Supreme Court

The President of India has appointed five new judges to the Supreme Court of India after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and based on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium. With these appointments, the working strength of the Supreme Court has increased to 37 judges, close to its newly enhanced sanctioned strength of 38 judges.

About the Appointments: 

The appointments were made following the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant. The five appointees include four Chief Justices of High Courts and one Senior Advocate. The appointments aim to strengthen the capacity of the apex court and help reduce the pendency of cases.

Newly Appointed Supreme Court Judges

The five judges appointed to the Supreme Court are:

Justice Sheel Nagu

Justice Shree Chandrashekhar

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva

Justice Arun Palli

V. Mohana

Significance of the Appointment:

These appointments come shortly after the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court was increased from 34 to 38 judges (including the Chief Justice of India) through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026. The increase in judicial strength is expected to improve the disposal of pending cases and facilitate the constitution of more Constitution Benches.

Special Feature:

The appointment of V. Mohana is particularly significant as direct elevation of advocates to the Supreme Court is relatively rare. She becomes one of the few advocates elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court.

Constitutional Provisions:

Under Article 124 of the Constitution of India, Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President of India after consultation with judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts as deemed necessary. The Collegium system currently governs recommendations for appointments and transfers of judges in the higher judiciary.