THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, June 1: The Central Government has officially notified the appointment of five new judges to the Supreme Court of India, approving the elevation of four sitting High Court Chief Justices and Senior Advocate V. Mohana. The appointments follow recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium during its meetings held on May 22 and May 27.
The newly appointed Supreme Court judges 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 & Kashmir and Ladakh; and Senior Advocate V. Mohana, who has been practising before the apex court.
Law Minister Announces Appointments
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments through a social media post on Monday.
“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,” the Minister said.
Mohana’s Elevation Strengthens Women’s Representation
The appointment of Senior Advocate V. Mohana is significant for gender representation in the country’s highest court. At present, the Supreme Court has only one sitting woman judge, Justice B.V. Nagarathna. Notably, no woman has been appointed to the Supreme Court since August 2021.
With Mohana’s elevation, women’s representation on the Supreme Court bench is set to improve, though the overall number of women judges remains low compared to the Court’s sanctioned strength.
Supreme Court Strength Raised to 38 Judges
The appointments come shortly after the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court was increased by four, taking the total number of judges, including the Chief Justice of India, from 34 to 38.
The Court currently has 32 sitting judges. Two additional vacancies are expected to arise in June following the retirement of Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Pankaj Mithal.
Supreme Court Judges Appointed: Full List
- 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 & Kashmir and Ladakh
- Senior Advocate V. Mohana