Three New Judges Appointed to Supreme Court, Taking Working Strength to 37

Chief Justices of Gujarat, Delhi, and Telangana High Courts have been elevated to the Supreme Court, bringing the bench's active strength to 37.

Three new judges were formally appointed to the Supreme Court on Monday, significantly bolstering the judicial bench. With these fresh appointments taking effect, the active working strength of the apex court will rise to 37 judges, leaving only one vacancy unfilled out of the total sanctioned capacity of 38 posts.

The Appointed Judges and Their Current Roles
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the development through a post on social media. According to the announcement, Justice Sunita Agarwal, the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, have all been elevated to serve as judges of the Supreme Court.

 

Collegium Recommendation and Swearing-In Timeline
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the names of the three senior judicial officers on September 28. Prior to these appointments, the highest court was operating with 34 sitting judges. Once the newly designated judges formally take their oath of office, the court's effective functional strength will touch 37.

Expansion of Sanctioned Bench Strength
The overall sanctioned strength of the apex court stands at 38, a figure that includes the Chief Justice of India. This ceiling was revised following the passage of the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026, which raised the permitted strength of judges from the earlier limit of 34 to 38 in order to support the higher judicial workload.

What this means for you
The elevation of three judges nearly fills the Supreme Court bench, directly improving case disposal capacity for litigants nationwide.

• Across India: More judicial benches will be operational to take up hearings for pending appeals and constitutional matters. Litigants from across the country can anticipate faster case processing and reduced scheduling delays.
• Court Efficiency: With 37 out of 38 sanctioned seats filled, the highest court will function near maximum capacity. This enables simultaneous hearings across diverse legal matters without severe bench shortages.
• High Courts Affected: The departures of Chief Justices in Gujarat, Delhi, and Telangana create vacancies at the helm of those state judiciaries. Acting Chief Justices or fresh leadership appointments will follow in those respective high courts.
• For Legal Practitioners: Advocates and parties with urgent listings will benefit from better case throughput. Additional judicial hands distribute the daily docket more evenly across active courtrooms.

Why this happened
These appointments were driven by statutory capacity expansions under the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026, alongside collegium deliberations to elevate experienced high court leadership.

• Collegium Nominations: The Supreme Court Collegium evaluated and recommended the names of the three high court Chief Justices on September 28. The nominations prioritized experienced judicial leaders from major high courts.
• Statutory Seat Expansion: Following the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026, the maximum sanctioned strength rose from 34 to 38. The newly created seats required fresh elevations to make the expanded strength functional.
• Executive Clearance: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal formally notified the appointments after executive processing of the collegium's recommendations.

Questions & Answers

1. Which three judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court?
Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh have been appointed to the Supreme Court.

2. What will be the working strength of the Supreme Court following these appointments?
Once the three newly appointed judges take their oath, the working strength of the Supreme Court will reach 37 judges.

3. What is the total sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court?
The sanctioned strength is 38 judges including the Chief Justice of India, leaving just one vacancy after these appointments.

4. When did the Collegium recommend their names?
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended their elevation on September 28.

5. Under which law was the sanctioned strength increased from 34 to 38?
The sanctioned strength was increased from 34 to 38 under the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026.

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