The Supreme Court moved closer to its sanctioned strength of 38 judges on Tuesday as five newly appointed judges were sworn in during a ceremony held at the Apex Court.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant administered the oath of office to Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Justice Arun Palli and Senior Advocate V. Mohana.
The appointments were notified by the Central Government on Monday, following recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium at its meetings held on May 22 and May 27.
Among the five appointees, four were serving as Chief Justices of High Courts prior to their elevation to the Supreme Court. Justice Sheel Nagu was serving as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with the Madhya Pradesh High Court as his parent High Court.
Justice Shree Chandrashekhar was serving as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and originally belonged to the Jharkhand High Court. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was serving as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and hails from the Delhi High Court. Justice Arun Palli was serving as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and belongs to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The fifth appointee, Senior Advocate V Mohana, was elevated directly from the Bar and is among the few advocates to be appointed to the Supreme Court without prior judicial service as a High Court judge.
Her appointment also enhances the representation of women on the Supreme Court Bench. Prior to her elevation, Justice B. V. Nagarathna was the only woman judge serving in the Court. Notably, no woman had been appointed to the Supreme Court since August 2021.
The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court was recently increased from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. Before the swearing-in ceremony, the Court was functioning with a working strength of 32 judges.
With the induction of the five new judges, the Apex Court has moved significantly closer to its full sanctioned strength. However, two vacancies are expected to arise later this month following the retirement of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Pankaj Mithal, which will once again reduce the Court’s effective strength.
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