The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of three judicial officers and six lawyers as judges at the High Courts of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, along with the appointment of two additional judges as permanent judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as part of its ongoing process to strengthen the higher judiciary and address vacancies across various High Courts.
The Apex Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and comprising Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice JK Maheshwari, Justice Vikram Nath and Justice MM Sundresh as its members, took the decision during a meeting held on June 2, 2026.
The Collegium proposed the elevation of three judicial officers as judges of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. The officers recommended for the appointment include Chirag Bhanu Singh, Bhupesh Sharma and Yogesh Jaswal. The recommendations are expected to strengthen the judicial capacity of the High Court, which is presently functioning with a working strength of 12 judges against its sanctioned strength of 17, leaving five vacancies on the Bench.
It further recommended the appointment of six advocates as judges of the Karnataka High Court. The advocates proposed for elevation are Raghavendra Seetharam Srivatsa, Hema Kulkarni, Subramanya Rangarao, Thadagavadi Prakash Vivekananda, Bakkeswara Pramod and Hombe Gowda Shanthi Bhushan.
The recommendations come shortly after the Central government approved the appointment of three judicial officers as additional judges of the Karnataka High Court. Following those appointments, the High Court’s working strength increased to 48 judges against a sanctioned strength of 62. If the latest recommendations receive approval from the Central Government and are subsequently notified, the working strength of the Karnataka High Court will rise to 54 judges.
The Collegium also approved the appointment of Justice Harmeet Singh Grewal and Justice Deepinder Singh Nalwa as permanent judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Both judges were sworn in as additional judges on February 17, 2025. Their recommendation for permanent appointment follows their tenure as additional judges and is in accordance with the constitutional framework governing judicial appointments under Article 217 of the Constitution.
The recommendations form part of the constitutional appointment process and will be forwarded to the Central Government for further consideration. Upon completion of the requisite consultative procedures and issuance of warrants of appointment, the proposed candidates will formally assume office.
The latest proposals reflect the continuing efforts of the Supreme Court Collegium to fill judicial vacancies, enhance institutional capacity and ensure the effective administration of justice across High Courts facing significant shortages in judicial strength.
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