Current Affairs

Three High Court Chief Justices appointed Supreme Court judges

05-10-2026 · English

Three High Court Chief Justices appointed Supreme Court judges

Topics: Polity · 5 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

On 5 October 2026 the Centre notified the appointment by President Droupadi Murmu of three High Court Chief Justices as Supreme Court judges, on the collegium's recommendation of 28 September 2026 led by CJI Surya Kant. The Court's working strength rises to 37 against a sanctioned strength of 38.

Key facts

Justice Sunita AgarwalGujarat HC (now the 3rd sitting woman judge of the Supreme Court)
Justice Devendra Kumar UpadhyayaDelhi HC (earlier Bombay HC CJ)
Justice Aparesh Kumar SinghTelangana HC (earlier Tripura HC CJ)

Background

  • Article 124(1): a Supreme Court with a CJI and judges in a number fixed by Parliament by law. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026 raised the strength from 34 to 38 (CJI + 37).
  • Article 124(2): judges are appointed by the President; they retire at 65.
  • Article 124(3): qualifications – 5 years as an HC judge, or 10 years as an HC advocate, or a distinguished jurist.
  • Collegium (CJI + 4 senior-most judges) came from the Three Judges Cases (1981, 1993, 1998); the NJAC (99th Amendment, 2014) was struck down in 2015.
  • Strength over time: 8 (1950), 11 (1956), 14 (1960), 18 (1978), 26 (1986), 31 (2009), 34 (2019), 38 (2026).

Tamil Nadu link: The Madras High Court (1862) is one of the three chartered High Courts under the Indian High Courts Act, 1861 (with Calcutta and Bombay) and covers Tamil Nadu and Puducherry; its Madurai Bench opened in 2004. None of the three new judges comes from the Madras HC.

Source: ETV Bharat (5 Oct 2026)

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