The Union government is likely to notify the appointment of three new judges to the Supreme Court later Thursday, following the President’s assent to the collegium’s recommendations. The judges are expected to be sworn in by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai on Friday morning.
The files concerning the appointments reached President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday and have now received her approval. The Union Law Ministry is anticipated to issue the formal notification shortly, completing the process initiated by the Supreme Court collegium.
This marks a significant development in the judiciary, coming just three days after the collegium’s recommendation. The swift action is seen as a positive start to the tenure of CJI Gavai, who assumed office earlier this month.
The three judges set for elevation are: justices NV Anjaria, Karnataka HC chief justice with Gujarat as his parent HC; Vijay Bishnoi, Gauhati HC chief justice, having Rajasthan as his parent high court, and Justice AS Chandurkar, a judge of the Bombay HC. With their appointments, the Supreme Court will reach its sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
The collegium comprises the five seniormost judges in the top court. Apart from CJI Gavai, justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and BV Nagarathna are the members of the judges’ selection body.
{{/usCountry}}The collegium comprises the five seniormost judges in the top court. Apart from CJI Gavai, justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, and BV Nagarathna are the members of the judges’ selection body.
{{/usCountry}}In its meeting on May 26, 2025, the collegium had recommended the elevation of the three judges.
These names, according to people aware of the development, “reflect a continued emphasis on regional diversity and judicial seniority.” One of the persons cited above added that a discussion on shortlisted women judges was deferred until the retirement of Justice Bela M Trivedi on June 9. Justice Trivedi’s last working day was May 16 in light of a personal trip to the US. Her seat will, however, fall vacant only after June 9, leaving Justice Nagarathna as the only woman Supreme Court judge.
On May 26, the collegium also recommended the appointment if five new chief justices in high courts and the shuffling of chief justices in four other high courts.
Twenty-two judges have also been transferred from their current postings, underscoring a renewed push to reposition judges based on administrative needs and personal requests, as previewed in HT’s earlier report on May 23.
This reshuffle comes in the wake of recent steps by the apex court to enhance transparency in judicial appointments and accountability. The Supreme Court now publicly discloses collegium decisions, judge profiles, and judges’ asset declarations on its website — a landmark initiative introduced under the leadership of former CJI Sanjiv Khanna earlier in May.
Moreover, these appointments arrive during a period of heightened scrutiny for the judiciary, following recent controversies — most notably the case involving unaccounted cash discovered at the residence of a sitting high court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma. In a rare and significant move, the Supreme Court confirmed on May 8 that an inquiry report and Justice Varma’s response were forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister. The former Chief Justice had also recommended the initiation of removal proceedings after a three-judge inquiry committee found merit in the allegations.