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Key Points

The Centre has approved the appointment of two new Supreme Court judges. Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Pancholi will now serve on the apex court. This brings the Supreme Court to its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges. The appointments follow the Collegium's recommendation made just two days prior.

Key Points: Centre Appoints Justices Alok Aradhe and Vipul Pancholi as Supreme Court Judges

  • Appointment fills two vacancies to reach full SC strength of 34 judges
  • Justice Aradhe brings extensive experience from MP, J&K, and Karnataka HCs
  • Justice Pancholi served as Gujarat HC judge before Patna leadership
  • Both appointments follow August 25th Supreme Court Collegium recommendation
2 min read

Centre clears appointment of Justices Alok Aradhe, Vipul Manubhai Pancholi as SC judges

President approves elevation of Bombay HC CJ Alok Aradhe and Patna HC CJ Vipul Pancholi to the Supreme Court, bringing total strength to 34 judges.

"The President... was pleased to appoint Justices Aradhe and Pancholi as SC judges. - Arjun Ram Meghwal"

New Delhi, Aug 27

Acting swiftly on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium, the Centre on Wednesday cleared the elevation of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi to the apex court.

In a post on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), was pleased to appoint Justices Aradhe and Pancholi as SC judges.

With the appointment of the two judges, the strength of the Supreme Court will reach the sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. At present, it is functioning with 32 judges.

"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 25th August, 2025 has recommended elevation of the following Chief Justices of the High Courts, as Judges in the Supreme Court: (i) Mr. Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice, High Court of Bombay (PHC: High Court of Madhya Pradesh) (ii) Mr. Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Patna, (PHC: High Court of Gujarat)," read a statement uploaded on the apex court website.

Born on April 13, 1964, Justice Aradhe enrolled as an advocate in 1988 and was designated a senior advocate in 2007. He was appointed Additional Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in December 2009 and became a Permanent Judge in February 2011. Justice Aradhe later served in the Jammu & Kashmir High Court from 2016, where he was Acting Chief Justice for a short period of term in 2018, before being transferred to the Karnataka High Court in November 2018. He functioned as Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court for around three months in 2022. Justice Aradhe was elevated as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court in July 2023 and transferred as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in January this year.

Born on May 28, 1968, in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Justice Pancholi completed his B.Sc. in Electronics and LL.M. in Commercial Law from Gujarat University. He joined the Bar in 1991 and served as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Gujarat High Court for seven years. Justice Pancholi was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court on October 1, 2014 and became a Permanent Judge on June 10, 2016. He was transferred to the Patna High Court in July 2023 and took charge as its Chief Justice on July 21, 2025.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see the government acting swiftly on collegium recommendations. The Supreme Court needs its full strength to handle the massive backlog of cases. Hope this helps in faster justice delivery for common people.
A
Aditya G
Justice Pancholi's background in commercial law is particularly valuable given the increasing number of complex business cases reaching the Supreme Court. His expertise will be much needed!
S
Sarah B
While I appreciate the appointments, I hope the collegium also focuses on ensuring better gender representation in the Supreme Court. We need more women justices at the highest level.
V
Vikram M
Both judges have impressive careers spanning over 30+ years. Their experience in different high courts across India will bring diverse perspectives to the Supreme Court. Good decision!
K
Karthik V
It's heartening to see the smooth coordination between the collegium and the government. This is how constitutional appointments should work - without unnecessary delays or controversies. 👍

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