Three High Court Chief Justices appointed to the Supreme Court
Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh took oath on 6 October 2026, taking the Court's working strength to 37 against a sanctioned strength of 38.
Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh took oath as judges of the Supreme Court of India on 6 October 2026. The Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, administered the oath of office. The ceremony was held at 3.30 pm and streamed live, departing from the Court's usual practice of swearing in new judges in the morning (SCC Online, 8 October 2026).
What the collegium recommended
The Supreme Court Collegium met on 28 September 2026 and recommended the elevation of three serving High Court Chief Justices. Its statement, published on the Court's collegium resolutions page, named Mrs. Justice Sunita Agarwal, Chief Justice of the High Court of Gujarat, whose parent High Court is Allahabad; Mr. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi, also from Allahabad; and Mr. Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana, whose parent High Court is Jharkhand.
The warrant of appointment
The Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Justice (Appointments Division), notified the three appointments on 5 October 2026, seven days after the collegium's statement. The notification was issued under Article 124(2) of the Constitution and provides that the appointments take effect from the date on which each judge assumes charge of office (SCC Online, 6 October 2026). The Supreme Court's own record of its judges gives 6 October 2026 as the date of appointment in all three cases.
Strength and vacancies
The three oaths take the Supreme Court's working strength to 37, including the Chief Justice of India. The sanctioned strength is 38, raised from 34 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026, which increased the number of judges other than the Chief Justice from 33 to 37. One vacancy remains. As last updated on 8 October 2026, the Court's "Chief Justice & Judges" page lists the Chief Justice of India and 36 judges.
Justice Agarwal is the third woman on the sitting bench, joining Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice V. Mohana (ThePrint). Justice Agarwal is due to retire on 29 April 2031, Justice Upadhyaya on 15 June 2030 and Justice Singh on 6 July 2030.
The next retirement from the Court falls on 29 November 2026, when Justice Satish Chandra Sharma demits office on attaining the age of 65.