Five Judges Sworn into Supreme Court as Strength Nears Full Capacity Following Collegium Expansion

The appointments follow weeks after the Union Government 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. The latest elevation includes four Chief Justices of various High Courts and one senior advocate elevated directly from the Bar.

The newly appointed judges are 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; Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court; and Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana.

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

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

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, born on December 26, 1964, is an alumnus of the Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, graduating in 1988 and enrolling with the Bar Council of Delhi the same year. Elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2013, he has since held multiple judicial assignments before becoming Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

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

Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana’s appointment marks a historic moment for the Supreme Court of India, as she becomes only the second woman advocate to be elevated directly from the Bar, following Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018. Her recommendation is also the first instance since August 2021 in which the Collegium has proposed a woman for appointment to the apex court. At present, Justice B. V. Nagarathna remains the only woman judge on the bench and a member of the Collegium.

The expansion of the Supreme Court bench, alongside these elevations, marks a significant restructuring moment aimed at strengthening judicial capacity and ensuring broader representation within the highest constitutional court of the country.