CJI to hold collegium meet next week on Supreme Court vacancies
CJI Bhushan R Gavai is set to convene his inaugural collegium meeting next week, with a view to addressing three vacancies in the Supreme Court
Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai is set to convene his inaugural collegium meeting next week, with a view to addressing three vacancies in the Supreme Court and effecting crucial appointments in several high courts. According to people familiar with the matter, the meeting of the five-member collegium is scheduled to be held on May 26, during which the country’s senior-most judges will deliberate over a list of 100 high court judges to identify three suitable candidates for elevation to the apex court.
At present, the Supreme Court is short of two judges. With justice Abhay S Oka set to retire on May 24, the strength will dip further just ahead of the anticipated collegium deliberation. The collegium on May 26 will comprise, apart from CJI Gavai, justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari and BV Nagarathna.
“While justice Vikram Nath is currently away, the list comprising the 100 most senior judges from across high courts is ready for circulation among collegium members -- as is the usual practice. This list forms the basis of discussions before the collegium finalises its recommendations to the government,” said one of the persons cited above.
This person further indicated that the collegium is likely to propose names from the high courts of Delhi and Bombay, in order to ensure balanced regional representation. Currently, only one Supreme Court judge hails from the Delhi High Court.
With justice Oka’s impending retirement, Bombay high court’s representation will shrink to just two judges. The last judge from Delhi to retire from the Supreme Court was justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on May 13 after a six-month tenure as the Chief Justice of India.
“The collegium may also consider the appointment of a woman judge,” the person added, highlighting that justice BV Nagarathna is the only woman Supreme Court judge. Justice Bela M Trivedi, is scheduled to retire on June 9, and her last working day was May 16 in light of a personal trip to the US. Her seat will fall vacant only after June 9.
Based on the seniority list, names under consideration for elevation to the Supreme Court include justices Sunita Agarwal (parent high court: Allahabad), Lisa Gill (Punjab & Haryana High Court), Revati Mohite Dere (Bombay High Court), and Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court). The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court is 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
Another person aware of the developments noted that the collegium is also expected to deliberate on the appointment of chief justices in the high courts of Patna, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. While the high courts in Patna and Telangana are currently headed by acting chief justices, the post in Madhya Pradesh will fall vacant on May 23 upon the retirement of the incumbent chief justice.
“The Chief Justice has clearly outlined his priorities. He intends to streamline the functioning of the judiciary by filling all vacancies at the earliest,” the person said. It was further indicated that the meeting may also consider certain inter-state transfers of judges. Some high court judges have requested repatriation to their parent courts, while other transfers, described as being “in the interest of the administration of justice”, are also likely to be taken up.
In a landmark move towards greater transparency, the Supreme Court , earlier this month, published the entire process for judicial appointments on its official website. This encompasses appointments to both the high courts and the Supreme Court and includes detailed explanations of the roles played by high court collegiums, inputs from state governments and the Union of India, and the final consideration by the Supreme Court collegium.
In an unprecedented step, the top court also made public the statements of assets submitted by its judges. “The full court of the Supreme Court of India has on April 1, 2025, decided that the statements of assets of the judges of this court shall be placed in the public domain by uploading the same on the website of this court. Statements of assets of judges already received are being uploaded. Statements of assets of other judges will be uploaded as and when the current statement of assets is received,” read the official release issued by the court.
Additionally, the website now hosts a comprehensive dataset regarding judicial appointments approved by the Supreme Court collegium between November 9, 2022, and May 5, 2025. This includes the names of appointees, their respective high courts, whether they were drawn from the bar or the judicial service, dates of recommendation and appointment, notifications by the Department of Justice, and demographic details such as caste category, minority status, gender, and any familial connections to sitting or retired judges of constitutional courts.
This move arrives amid growing public scrutiny of judicial propriety and accountability. Notably, it coincides with a recent episode involving justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting high court judge, at whose residence some unaccounted cash was discovered following a fire. In accordance with the Supreme Court’s in-house procedure for handling complaints of judicial misconduct, the court on May 8 confirmed that an inquiry report, along with justice Varma’s response, had been forwarded by the then CJI, justice Sanjiv Khanna, to the President and Prime Minister. Justice Khanna had also recommended initiation of removal proceedings after a three-judge inquiry committee found merit in the allegations concerning recovery of cash from the judge’s home.
