Centre appoints five new Supreme Court judges, strength to rise to 37

The Supreme Court is set to get five new judges after the Central Government cleared the names recommended by the SC Collegium, taking the apex court close to its newly expanded sanctioned strength of 38.Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced on X that the President has approved the appointment of four high court Chief Justices and Senior Advocate V. Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court under Article 124(2) of the Constitution.The appointees are:Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana high courtJustice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay high courtJustice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh high courtJustice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the high court of Jammu and Kashmir and LadakhSenior advocate Venkita Subramani MohanaThe appointments come days after the SC Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, recommended their elevation on May 27. This is the Collegium's first major set of appointments under CJI Surya Kant, who assumed office in November 2025.The development follows the Centre's decision to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026. With these five appointments, the Supreme Court's strength will rise to 37 judges, leaving only one vacancy.The expansion is aimed at addressing the growing pendency of cases in the apex court and enabling the constitution of more regular Constitution Benches. The latest appointments are expected to strengthen the court's capacity while reflecting considerations of seniority, merit, regional representation and gender diversity.Based on inputs from ANI