The Supreme Court has 5 new judges; power to go up to 37

A view of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. FILE | Photo credit: The Hindu

The Center on Monday (Jun 1, 2026) approved the appointment of five Supreme Court judges, taking the strength of the bench to 37, close to the revised strength of 38 judges.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal took to social media platform X and said that the President has approved the appointment under Article 124(2) of the Constitution.

The appointees are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of 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 V. Mohan.

The appointment follows the recommendation of the College dated 27 May 2026.

The development comes weeks after the Center on May 5, 2026, increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Order, 2026.

Published – 1 Jun 2026 08:38 IST