SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, May 28: Justice Shree Chandrashekhar is set to become the third judge from Jharkhand to be elevated to the Supreme Court since the state’s formation in 2000.
Earlier, Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya was elevated to the Supreme Court on September 13, 2011, and retired on March 14, 2015. Justice (late) M Y Eqbal was elevated to the apex court on December 24, 2012, and retired on February 12, 2016.
With Justice Chandrashekhar’s proposed elevation, the Jharkhand High Court will regain representation in the Supreme Court after nearly a decade following Justice Eqbal’s retirement in 2016.
Notably, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has recommended the names of four High Court Chief Justices and senior advocate V Mohana for appointment as judges of the apex court.
The Collegium, after meetings held on May 22 and Wednesday, recommended the elevation of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Chief Justice Arun Palli, and Senior Advocate V Mohana.
Who is Justice Shree Chandrashekhar?
Born on May 25, 1965, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar hails from Muzaffarpur in Bihar. He completed his LLB from Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre and was enrolled as an advocate in 1993.
He built a distinguished legal career in Delhi spanning nearly two decades, practising in both civil and criminal law. During this period, he appeared in around 3,500 Supreme Court cases, including nearly 140 reported judgments.
Justice Chandrashekhar also served as standing counsel for several institutions and government bodies, including the AICTE, Jharkhand government, Bihar State Housing Board, Bihar State Electricity Board and ICAR.
He began his judicial career as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on January 17, 2013, and became a Permanent Judge on June 27, 2014.
Later, he was appointed Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on December 29, 2023.
Journey from Jharkhand to Bombay High Court
Justice Chandrashekhar was transferred to the Rajasthan High Court in July 2024 before being shifted to the Bombay High Court in July 2025.
He briefly served as Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before taking oath as Chief Justice on September 5, 2025.
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai, had recommended his elevation as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on August 25, 2025.
Legal experts regard Justice Chandrashekhar as a judge with wide institutional experience due to his long legal practice and judicial assignments across Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Bombay High Courts.
V Mohana second woman from Bar recommended to SC
Senior Advocate V Mohana, who graduated from Coimbatore Law College, was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in April 2015.
If approved by the Centre, her appointment will increase the number of women judges in the Supreme Court from one to two. At present, Justice B V Nagarathna is the only woman judge in the apex court.
Mohana will become the second woman directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court after Justice Indu Malhotra.
Supreme Court strength likely to increase
Earlier this year, CJI Surya Kant had recommended increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38 to enable the formation of a permanent Constitution Bench for pending cases.
The Union government accepted the proposal and approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, on May 5.
Currently, the Supreme Court has a working strength of 32 judges, and more vacancies are expected later this year due to upcoming retirements.