CJI Surya Kant administers oath to five new Supreme Court judges
New Delhi, June 2
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday administered the oath of office to five new judges of the Supreme Court. Justices Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva and Arun Palli, along with senior advocate V. Mohana, took oath as judges of the apex court after the Centre cleared their appointments on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium.
Acting on the Collegium's recommendations made in its meetings held on May 22 and May 27, the Centre on Monday approved the elevation of the four High Court Chief Justices and senior advocate Mohana to the Supreme Court.
In a post on the social media platform X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal had announced that the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), had appointed Justices Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva and Arun Palli, along with senior advocate V. Mohana, as judges of the apex court.
"The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meetings held on 22nd & 27th May, 2026, has recommended elevation of the following persons as Judges in the Supreme Court," the Collegium had said in a statement uploaded on the website of the apex court.
Justice Nagu was appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in May 2011 and took over as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 2024.
Justice Chandrashekhar was elevated as a judge of the Jharkhand High Court in January 2013 and assumed office as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in January 2025.
Justice Sachdeva was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in April 2013 and became a permanent judge in March 2015. He became the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in July 2025.
Justice Palli was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2013 and was appointed the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in April 2025.
Senior advocate Mohana has been practising before the Supreme Court and has handled several constitutional, civil and service law matters before the apex court.
The oath ceremony comes weeks after President Droupadi Murmu promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of judges in the apex court from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
— IANS
Reader Comments
Congratulations to the new judges! Justice Nagu from Punjab & Haryana HC, Justice Chandrashekhar from Bombay HC - diversity in experience is welcome. And V. Mohana as a senior advocate brings a different perspective too.
Finally some movement on judicial appointments! The backlog is insane - over 4 crore cases pending across all courts. Hope these judges hit the ground running. But I wish the Collegium system was more transparent. Abhi bhi bahut tajjub hota hai.
Interesting that the government cleared these appointments quickly. Usually there's so much back and forth between Collegium and Centre. Good to see things moving smoothly for once. Justice delayed is justice denied, as they say.
Five new judges in one go - that's a record! 😊 I see Justice Sachdeva has experience from Delhi HC, Justice Palli from J&K. This geographical mix is good for understanding regional issues. But honestly, we need even more judges - the sanctioned strength of 37 (plus CJI) is still low for a country of 1.4 billion people.
V. Mohana as senior advocate direct to SC - interesting. Usually judges come from High Courts. Shows merit is being recognised. Let's hope she brings fresh energy. The Supreme Court needs more women judges, so this is a good step.
N Nisha Z