President Appoints Three New Supreme Court Judges, Strength to Rise to 37

President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh as judges of the Supreme Court on Monday, completing the formal process a week after the Collegium recommended their elevation. The three judges are expected to take oath on October 6, after which the Supreme Court's working strength will rise from 34 to 37 judges, leaving one vacancy against the sanctioned strength of 38.

The appointments follow the September 28 recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Justice Agarwal is Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Upadhyaya heads the Delhi High Court, while Justice Singh is Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Their elevation marks the second major appointment cycle since Parliament increased the apex court's sanctioned strength from 34 to 38 judges earlier this year.

The expansion was aimed at strengthening the Court's capacity and facilitating faster disposal of cases. Five judges were appointed in June, taking the working strength to 37, before subsequent retirements reduced it to 34. The latest appointments will restore the bench to 37, leaving only one post vacant under the expanded structure.

Justice Sunita Agarwal has the Allahabad High Court as her parent court and has headed the Gujarat High Court since 2023. Her elevation will take the number of women judges on the Supreme Court to three, alongside Justices B.V. Nagarathna and V. Mohana. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, also from the Allahabad High Court, has previously served as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before taking charge of the Delhi High Court in 2025.

Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, whose parent court is Jharkhand, has served as Chief Justice of the Tripura and Telangana High Courts. His elevation will bring experience from several High Court jurisdictions to the apex court. The three nominees were ranked fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the all-India seniority of High Court judges, adding a seniority dimension to the Collegium's selections.

The appointments come as the Supreme Court continues to handle a substantial workload. As of September 30, 94,961 cases were pending, while 22 matters requiring five-judge Benches, five requiring seven-judge Benches and two requiring nine-judge Benches were pending. The additional judges could give the Chief Justice greater flexibility to constitute larger Constitution Benches while maintaining regular benches for other cases.

The elevation of the three Chief Justices will also create vacancies at the top of the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts, requiring fresh appointments. Meanwhile, further Supreme Court vacancies are expected with upcoming retirements.

With the three judges set to take oath, the apex court will move closer to its 38-judge sanctioned capacity, but maintaining that strength will remain an ongoing process as retirements and new appointments reshape the Court's composition.