Supreme Court To Get Three New Judges As CJI Surya Kant Administers Oath

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will administer the oath of office to three newly appointed Supreme Court judges at 03:30 PM on Tuesday, October 6.

Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh will join the apex court bench in a live-streamed ceremony.

The afternoon swearing-in marks a departure from the Supreme Court’s usual practice of administering oaths at 10:30 AM, when the court normally begins its working day.

An official communication confirmed that Tuesday’s ceremony will start at 03:30 PM.

The Centre approved the appointments on Monday following the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation.

The Collegium recommended the elevation of the three High Court Chief Justices at its September 28 meeting.

Justice Sunita Agarwal joined the Allahabad High Court in 2011 and became Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in 2023. She was followed by Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who joined the Allahabad High Court the same year and later headed the Bombay and Delhi High Courts.

Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh joined the Jharkhand High Court in 2012 and went on to serve as Chief Justice of the Tripura and Telangana High Courts.

Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments, saying the President approved them after consulting CJI Surya Kant.

The appointments will, however, strengthen the Supreme Court’s judicial capacity after the Centre increased its sanctioned strength to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

The three judges will take charge as the apex court continues to handle a wide range of constitutional, legal and public interest matters. Their elevation comes as the Supreme Court expands its judicial strength to meet its growing workload.

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