The Supreme Court bench on Wednesday recommended the elevation of four chief justices of the Supreme Court and Senior Advocate V. Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court, paving the way for one of the most significant rounds of appointments to the Supreme Court in recent years after expanding its blocking power.
In a resolution passed by the collegium led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the names recommended for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court are Justices Shail Nagu, Shri Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Arun Bali and Senior Advocate Mohana.
The recommendations will now be sent to the Union government for approval and appointment orders will be issued by the President.
The current round of appointments comes at a critical juncture for the Supreme Court, which is not only adjusting to its expanded power but also facing a series of impending retirements.
Justice Pankaj Mithal is scheduled to retire on June 6, followed by Justice JK Maheshwari on June 28, Justice Sanjay Karol on August 28, and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma on November 29. The recommendations are therefore expected to stabilize the court’s workforce during the tenure of CJI Surya Kant, who leaves office in February 2027.
The move comes days after the Union government officially increased the scheduled strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the ICJ, through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026.
The May 16 move was aimed at addressing the growing attachment, which exceeded 92,000 cases, and facilitating the holding of regular constitutional sessions.
Through the latest recommendations, the bench, which also comprised Justices Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, PV Nagaratna and MM Sundresh, sought to strike a balance between regional representation, judicial seniority, merit and gender diversity in the composition of the Supreme Court.
Among the recommended judges is Justice Shail Nagu who is currently the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Originally from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, he was elevated to the position of judge there in 2011 before being appointed Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2024. He is known for his work on matters relating to constitutional, service and administrative law.
Justice Shri Chandrashekhar, currently Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, began his judicial career in the Jharkhand High Court and was elevated to the post of Judge there in 2013. He took charge as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court last year after serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, who was originally a judge of the Delhi High Court and was recently appointed Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, handled several important matters of constitutional, commercial and criminal law during his tenure on the bench. Before his elevation as a judge in 2013, he had an extensive practice before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.
Justice Arun Bali, who currently presides over the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, began practicing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1988 and was appointed senior advocate in 2007. He was elevated to the post of judge in 2013 and dealt with constitutional, labour, civil and criminal matters before being appointed chief justice last year.
Senior advocate V Mohana’s recommendation is particularly important as it will add another woman judge to the Supreme Court, which currently has only one woman judge – Justice PV Nagarathna.
A senior member of the Supreme Court Bar, Mohana graduated from the Coimbatore Law College in 1988 as part of the institution’s first five-year law course. She initially trained under Advocate M Panchabhakisan before moving to New Delhi, where she worked with former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra and Senior Advocate CS Vaidyanathan.
After passing the Registered Advocate Examination in 1996, Mohana commenced independent practice in the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and other forums, including the National Consumer Commission. Over the years, she has appeared alongside several prominent legal figures including Kapil Sibal, KK Venugopal, P Chidambaram, Arun Jaitley and TR Andhyarujina. She was appointed as Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of the Full Bench in April 2015 and has also served as Advocate for the Government of the Union.
