For the first time ever, three new Supreme Court judges to take oath in the afternoon

Usually, judges of the Supreme Court are administered the oath of office at 10.30 am, the time when the courts assemble on working days for conducting hearings.

Three new judges will take the oath of office to take charge in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant breaking the usual tradition of swearing in judges in the morning hours.

This change marks the first time in the history of the Supreme Court since its establishment in 1950. (HT photo)

According to an official communication by the Supreme Court, the swearing-in of the new judges will take place at 3:30pm on Tuesday.

“The Swearing-in-Ceremony of Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, shall be live-streamed from 03:30 P.M. onwards,” the communication read.

Usually, judges of the Supreme Court are administered the oath of office at 10.30 am, the time when the courts assemble on working days for conducting hearings. This change marks the first time in the history of the Supreme Court since its establishment in 1950.

The swearing-in follows the notification issued by the Centre appointing the three new judges of the Supreme Court under the President's order. A post published on ‘X’ by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India is pleased to appoint the following Chief Justices of high courts as judges of the Supreme Court of India.”

This Collegium also comprises four seniormost judges of the top court – justices Vikram Nath, BV Nagarathna, MM Sundresh and PS Narasimha.

Why the break in tradition?

While no reason is given for the change in the swearing-in ceremony time, the convenience of the new judges is cited as the reason. Justice Agarwal was given a Full Court Farewell Reference on Monday, soon after the Centre notified her elevation.

The Delhi high court will be organising the Full Court Farewell Reference in honour of justice Upadhyaya on Tuesday at 12 noon. As regards Justice Singh, the Full Court Farewell Reference by the judges and the Bar Association of the Telangana high court could not be held, as justice Singh left for Delhi on Monday for the swearing-in ceremony. The Centre has already notified the appointment of justice P Sam Koshy as Acting CJ of the Telangana high court.

With the present appointments, the working strength of the Supreme Court will increase to 37 against a sanctioned strength of 38, including the CJI.

Justice Agarwal, who was elevated to the bench from the Allahabad high court, will be the third woman judge at the Supreme Court. Presently, justice Nagarathna (who is slated to be the first woman CJI in September 2027) and justice V Mohana (elevated directly from the bar) are the two women judges in the top court.

The parent high court of justice Upadhyaya is the Allahabad high court, while that of justice Singh is the Jharkhand high court. While Justice Agarwal has tenure until April 2031, the other two judges will retire in 2030.