Five new Supreme Court judges sworn in, strength increases to 37

Key Takeaways

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 2, 2026) got five new judges, taking its working strength to 37 judges, with only one position remaining vacant.
• The appointments come shortly after the Union Government increased the Court’s sanctioned strength from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India (), through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
• The ordinance, promulgated on May 16, was aimed at addressing the Court’s mounting backlog of over 93,000 cases and facilitating the regular convening of Constitution Benches.
• Surya Kant administered the oath of office to former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Shree Chandrashekhar, former Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court Sanjeev Sachdeva, former Chief Justice of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Arun Palli, and Senior Advocate V.S.
• Senior advocate Mohana’s elevation to the Bench is particularly significant as it increases the number of women judges on the Supreme Court Bench, which currently has only one woman judge, Justice B.V.