Centre Elevates Three High Court Chief Justices to Supreme Court, Raising Strength to 37
The Union government notified the appointment of three High Court Chief Justices as judges of the Supreme Court on Monday, raising the apex court's working strength to 37 against a sanctioned capacity of 38. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the elevations, which include Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Telangana High Court Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh.
Backgrounds and Collegium Recommendations
The three Chief Justices were recommended for elevation by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on September 28. Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya were originally appointed to the Allahabad High Court bench in November 2011, while Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was appointed to the Jharkhand High Court in January 2012. Justice Agarwal assumed the role of Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in July 2023. Justice Upadhyaya served as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before taking charge at the Delhi High Court in January 2025.
Representation and Bench Composition
Justice Agarwal's appointment makes her the third woman judge currently serving on the Supreme Court bench, alongside Justice B. V. Nagarathna and Justice V. Mohana. The fresh appointments increase representation from the Allahabad High Court parent bench to four judges, joining Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Manoj Mishra.
Unprecedented Afternoon Swearing-In Schedule
Breaking from traditional morning scheduling where judges are administered the oath of office at 10:30 am during court assembly hours, the Supreme Court scheduled the swearing-in ceremony for 3:30 pm on Tuesday. The schedule adjustment accommodated farewell references held at respective High Courts, as Justice Agarwal received a full court farewell in Gujarat on Monday, while the Delhi High Court scheduled a farewell reference for Justice Upadhyaya.
Why judicial strength and vacancies both matter
An appointment announcement describes judges moving into the Supreme Court, but the court's actual working strength depends on swearing-in dates, retirement and other vacancies. A higher sanctioned or functioning number is not, by itself, evidence that pending cases will immediately fall. Case allocation, bench formation and procedural efficiency also influence throughput. The meaningful follow-up is the verified current roster and vacancy position published by the judiciary, followed by data on disposal and pending matters rather than assumptions based solely on the number of new names.