The Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 6, welcomed three new judges, taking the court’s working strength to 37 against a sanctioned strength of 38.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant administered the oath of office to Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh at a ceremony held at the Supreme Court. The proceedings were also live-streamed.
All three judges were serving as Chief Justices of High Courts before their elevation. Justice Sunita Agarwal was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya headed the Delhi High Court, while Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
Supreme Court Now Has 3 Women Judges
Justice Sunita Agarwal’s elevation has taken the number of sitting women judges in the Supreme Court to three.
She joins Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice V Mohana on the apex court. Justice Agarwal’s appointment is therefore significant for the representation of women in India’s highest court.
Supreme Court Strength Reaches 37
Before Tuesday’s swearing-in, the Supreme Court was functioning with 34 judges. The sanctioned strength was recently increased to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
With the latest appointments, only one vacancy remains in the sanctioned strength of the apex court.
Who Are the Three New Judges?
Justice Sunita Agarwal: Her parent High Court is Allahabad. She became a High Court judge in 2011 and later served as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya: Also from the Allahabad High Court, Justice Upadhyaya later served as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before becoming Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh: His parent High Court is Jharkhand. He later served as Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court before becoming Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the three names on September 28, while the Centre notified their appointments on October 5. The President subsequently approved the appointments.
