An important step towards boosting judicial strength in India came when the central government notified the appointments of five new judges to India's top court just days after increasing the number of judges to the top court.
The new judges include chief justices of four High Courts; Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Arun Palli along with senior advocate V Mohana. These appointments were recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on May 27 and accepted by the government within four days.
Union Minister for Law, Arjun Ram Meghwal, informed about the appointments via an X post, mentioning that the appointments were made by the President of India under Article 124(2) of the Constitution after consultations with the Chief Justice of India.
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The five appointees are expected to take oath as Supreme Court judges on Tuesday.
Appointments follow expansion of Supreme Court strength
The latest appointments come shortly after the Centre increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 judges to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India, through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
The move was aimed at addressing the growing backlog of cases, which has crossed 92,000 matters, while also enabling the regular constitution of larger benches to hear important constitutional cases.
With the addition of the five judges, the Supreme Court's working strength will rise to 36 judges besides the Chief Justice, leaving only one vacancy in the expanded court.
VIDEO | PTI Exclusive: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) said that there are no tussle at all with the judiciary over the appointment of judges.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 31, 2026
He said, "First of all, I want to say there is no tussle and there is a good consultation process. Before 1993,… pic.twitter.com/xcgzRTz2AI
The collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Vikram Nath, J K Maheshwari, B V Nagarathna and M M Sundresh, said the appointments were made keeping in mind regional representation, seniority, merit and diversity.
V Mohana's elevation marks a milestone
Among the five appointees, the elevation of senior advocate V Mohana is being viewed as particularly significant.
A veteran Supreme Court practitioner, Mohana began her legal career after graduating from Coimbatore Law College in 1988. She trained under advocate M Panchapakesan before moving to Delhi, where she worked with future Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra and senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan.
She later established an independent practice in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, appearing alongside leading legal figures including Kapil Sibal, K K Venugopal, P Chidambaram, Arun Jaitley and T R Andhyarujina. She was designated a senior advocate by the Supreme Court in 2015.
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Her appointment will make her only the second woman lawyer to be elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court after Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018. She will also become one of only two women currently serving on the apex court bench.
New judges bring wide judicial experience
Presently, Sheel Nagu acts as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and has made a name for himself in Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. Shree Chandrashekhar is currently heading the Bombay High Court having started his career in the judiciary from Jharkhand. Sanjeev Sachdeva, a new appointee as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, has taken up many cases in Constitutional Law and Business Law, whereas Arun Palli is now leading the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
These appointments have been made against the backdrop of a number of retirements that are lined up before the Supreme Court. These include Pankaj Mithal, J K Maheshwari, Sanjay Karol, and Satish Chandra Sharma among others who are set to retire later this year. In light of these retirements, the new additions should help ensure the smooth functioning of the court under the leadership of Chief Justice Surya Kant whose tenure ends in February 2027.
