The Supreme Court collegium on Monday recommended the elevation of Justice Alok Aradhe, currently the chief justice of the Bombay high court, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, who is serving as chief justice of the Patna high court, to the top court.
The five-member collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and BV Nagarathna, cleared their names in the meeting on Monday afternoon. With their appointments, the Supreme Court will once again attain its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
If appointed, Justice Pancholi will be in line to become the Chief Justice of India for a tenure of 16 months following the retirement of Justice Joymalya Bagchi in May 2031.
Born in 1964, Justice Aradhe has served across multiple high courts in his judicial career. Practising primarily in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company matters before the Madhya Pradesh high court at Jabalpur, he was designated as a senior advocate in April 2007.
He began his judicial career as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh high court in December 2009 and became a permanent judge in February 2011. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir high court in September 2016, where he also served as acting chief justice. In November 2018, he was transferred to the Karnataka high court, later serving as its acting chief justice between July and October 2022. In July 2023, he was appointed chief justice of the Telangana high court, and a year later, he was elevated as chief justice of the Bombay high court.
{{/usCountry}}He began his judicial career as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh high court in December 2009 and became a permanent judge in February 2011. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir high court in September 2016, where he also served as acting chief justice. In November 2018, he was transferred to the Karnataka high court, later serving as its acting chief justice between July and October 2022. In July 2023, he was appointed chief justice of the Telangana high court, and a year later, he was elevated as chief justice of the Bombay high court.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Pancholi was born in May 1968 in Ahmedabad. He enrolled as an advocate in September 1991, beginning his practise at the Gujarat high court. He served as assistant government pleader and additional public prosecutor for seven years until March 2006. In October 2014, he was elevated as an additional judge of the Gujarat high court and confirmed as a permanent judge in June 2016. After nearly a decade in Gujarat, he was transferred to the Patna high court in July 2023, where he took oath as judge. He was appointed chief justice of the Patna high court in July 2025.