Who Are The 5 New Supreme Court Judges Cleared By The Centre Today?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Central government has cleared the appointment of four High Court Chief Justices and Senior Advocate V Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court of India, Union Minister of State (in charge) of Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal said on 1 June.

“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President of India, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following as Judges of the Supreme Court of India. I convey my best wishes to them,” Meghwal said in a post on X.

The latest appointments are expected to strengthen the court's capacity while reflecting considerations of seniority, merit, regional representation and gender diversity in judicial appointments.

The appointees are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; and Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana.

Collegium recommended elevation on 27 May

The appointments come days after the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, recommended their elevation on May 27. The Collegium's recommendation was its first major set of appointments under the leadership of CJI Surya Kant, who assumed office in November 2025.

The development also follows the Centre's decision to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026. With the five appointments, the Supreme Court's strength will rise to 37 judges, leaving only one vacancy.

The expansion is aimed at addressing the growing pendency of cases in the apex court and enabling the constitution of more regular Constitution Benches. The latest appointments are expected to strengthen the court's capacity while reflecting considerations of seniority, merit, regional representation and gender diversity in judicial appointments.

Who are the new SC Judges?

1- Justice Sheel Nagu: Justice Sheel Nagu served as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before being elevated as SC judge.

Born on 1 January, 1965, Justice Nagu enrolled as an advocate in October 1987 and practised primarily in civil, constitutional and service matters. He was appointed an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in May 2011 and became a permanent judge in May 2013, according to legal news website Bar and Bench.

Justive Nagu also served as Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court before taking oath as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 2024.

Justice Nagu was also a member of the in-house inquiry committee that examined the cash-at-home controversy involving Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Nagu will retire on December 31, 2029.

2- Justice Shree Chandrashekhar: Justice Chandrashekar has been serving as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, according to Bar and Bench.

Born in Ranchi on 25 May, 1965, Justice Chandrashekar completed his law degree from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and enrolled with the Delhi Bar Council in 1993. Justice Chandrashekar was elevated as an additional judge of the Jharkhand High Court in January 2013. He became a permanent judge in June 2014.

Justice Chandrashekar served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court before being transferred to the Rajasthan High Court and subsequently elevated as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in September 2025.

Justice Chandrashekhar was also part of the Parliamentary Judges Inquiry Committee constituted to examine allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Chandrashekar will retire on 24 May, 2030.

3- Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva: Justice Sachdeva has been serving as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court before his elevation.

Born on 26 December, 1964, Justice Sachdeva graduated from Sri Ram College of Commerce and Campus Law Centre, Delhi University and qualified as an Advocate-on-Record in the SC in 1995. He was designated a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court in 2011, according to Bear and Bench.

Appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in April 2013, he became a permanent judge in March 2015. He took oath as MP HC's Chief Justice in July 2025.

Justicr Sachdeva will have a tenure of around three-and-a-half years in the Supreme Court.

4-Justice Arun Palli: Justice Palli has been serving as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh before his elevation.

Born in Patiala on 18 September, 1964, Justice Palli graduated in law from Panjab University in 1988. He served as Additional Advocate General of Punjab from 2004 to 2007 and was designated a Senior Advocate in 2007.

He was elevated to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2013. He took oath as Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in April 2025.

Justice Palli will have served for over three years in the top court.

5- Senior Advocate V Mohana Senior Advocate V Mohana is the second woman in India's history to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court, after Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018.

She has become one of only two sitting women judges of the Supreme Court, along with Justice BV Nagarathn.

Born on 27 June, 1966, Mohana graduated from Coimbatore Law College in 1988. She became an Advocate-on-Record in 1996 and was designated a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in 2015.

Her appointment will also make her the 12th woman to serve as a Supreme Court judge. Because she is being elevated directly from the Bar, she will have a relatively long tenure of nearly five years and retire in June 2031.

(With inputs from Bar and Bench)

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