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Newly Appointed SC Judges
Supreme Court Strength Reaches Record 37 with Induction of Five New Judges
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India reached a historic milestone on June 2, 2026, as Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant administered the oath of office to five newly appointed judges. This swearing-in ceremony, held at the Supreme Court’s Administrative Buildings Complex, increases the active strength of the apex court to 37 judges, the highest in its history.
The New Appointments
The appointments were cleared by the Centre on June 1, 2026, following recommendations by the Supreme Court Collegium on May 27. The five new judges elevated to the Supreme Court are:
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Justice Sheel Nagu: Previously Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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Justice Shree Chandrashekhar: Previously Chief Justice, Bombay High Court.
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Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva: Previously Chief Justice, Madhya Pradesh High Court.
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Justice Arun Palli: Previously Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
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Venkita Subramani Mohana: A distinguished Senior Advocate, whose elevation is expected to strengthen gender diversity on the bench.
Here are the career highlights for the five newly appointed Supreme Court judges:
1. Justice Sheel Nagu
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Background: Born in 1965, he enrolled as an advocate in 1987 and built a strong practice in civil and constitutional law at the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
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Judicial Tenure: Elevated as an Additional Judge of the MP High Court in 2011 and became a permanent judge in 2013. He served as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court since July 2024.
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Key Contributions: Authored nearly 500 reported judgments. His bench notably advocated for improved healthcare facilities in prisons and ruled on sensitive matrimonial disputes.
2. Justice Shree Chandrashekhar
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Background: A law graduate from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University (1993), he started his practice in criminal and civil matters.
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Judicial Tenure: Appointed as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court in 2013. He later served as a judge at the Rajasthan High Court and the Bombay High Court, eventually becoming the 49th Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
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Expertise: Known for his significant contributions during his long tenure across various High Courts, with approximately 140 reported judgments to his credit.
3. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva
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Background: An advocate-on-record (1995) and Senior Advocate (2011), he served as the Standing Counsel for the Bar Council of India for over two decades.
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Judicial Tenure: Elevated to the Delhi High Court in 2013. He was later transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where he served as Chief Justice before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
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Expertise: He has been a key figure in judicial training and court management, having trained numerous advocates in advocacy skills and led committees on judicial human resource development.
4. Justice Arun Palli
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Background: Hailing from a prominent legal family in Punjab, he practiced extensively in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, specializing in civil, criminal, constitutional, revenue, and labour law.
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Judicial Tenure: Elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2013. In 2025, he was appointed as the 38th Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
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Expertise: Served as the Executive Chairman of the Haryana State Legal Service Authority, focusing on legal aid and access to justice.
5. Venkita Subramani Mohana (V. Mohana)
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Background: A first-generation lawyer, she is a veteran Supreme Court practitioner who became an Advocate-on-Record in 1996 and was designated as a Senior Advocate in 2015.
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Key Cases: She appeared in high-profile matters such as the Karnataka Hijab row, the case for permanent commissions for women in the Indian Army, and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case.
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Significance: She is only the second woman in history to be directly elevated to the Supreme Court from the Bar (following Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018) and is the 12th female judge to serve on the apex court bench.
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