New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointments of Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Justice Arun Palli and senior advocate Venkita S Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court.
The five are expected to take oath before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday. The appointments come at a crucial juncture for the judiciary, which faces a huge number of pending cases.
The new judges will strengthen the Supreme Court’s capacity to hear matters ranging from constitutional disputes and electoral challenges to commercial litigation and criminal appeals, as reported by The Week.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the appointments. The Collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India and comprising the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, had proposed the names after considering factors such as seniority, merit, integrity and regional representation.
Thereafter, the Union government processed the recommendations and forwarded them for Presidential approval, completing the constitutional process required for elevation to the Supreme Court.
The Parliament has approved an increase in the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges. The move was aimed at enabling the court to cope with its expanding workload and growing number of pending cases.
Of the five who will be joining the Supreme Court, four are currently serving as Chief Justices of High Courts. Justice Sheel Nagu is presently the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He has had a long judicial career that began in the Madhya Pradesh High Court and has dealt extensively with constitutional, administrative and service law matters.
Justice Shree Chandrashekhar heads the Bombay High Court. He previously served in the Jharkhand High Court and is regarded as a judge with substantial experience in civil and criminal jurisprudence.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva is Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He built much of his judicial career in the Delhi High Court, where he handled a wide spectrum of constitutional and commercial disputes.
Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, is known for his extensive experience in constitutional and public law matters and has previously served in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The four judges bring decades of experience from different regions of the country, adding to the diversity of perspectives on the apex court bench.
The most significant aspect of the latest round of appointments is the elevation of senior advocate Venkita S Mohana to the position of a judge in the Supreme Court.
She is a respected member of the Bar with decades of experience before constitutional courts. Mohana becomes only the second woman advocate in the country’s history to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court. The first was Justice Indu Malhotra, who joined the apex court in 2018.
Her appointment comes at a time when concerns are being raised about the limited representation of women in the higher judiciary. The Supreme Court has historically had a small number of women judges, and Mohana’s elevation is expected to renew discussions on improving gender diversity on the Bench.
The fresh faces will provide a boost to the Supreme Court’s functioning at a time when judicial delays remain a major concern. According to official data, tens of thousands of cases are pending before the apex court, while courts across the country continue to face mounting backlogs.
Experts believe that a larger strength will allow the court to constitute more benches, hear a greater number of matters and reduce waiting times for litigants. They also point out that a full-strength court is essential for handling complex constitutional questions that require larger benches.
The latest appointments, therefore, represent an effort to strengthen the institution at a time when the Supreme Court’s role in shaping public policy, safeguarding constitutional values and resolving politically sensitive disputes has become increasingly significant.
