Story perspectives

Supreme Court swears in three new judges, bench at 37

By Drooid · Oct 6, 2026, 5:48 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Chief Justice Surya Kant administered oath to three new judges, raising the bench to 37.
The ceremony took place at 3:30 PM, deviating from the usual morning schedule.
The Supreme Court live-streamed the oath ceremony on its YouTube channel.
The Collegium recommended the appointments on September 28 and the Centre notified them on October 5.
Justice Sunita Agarwal becomes the third female judge as Justices D.K. Upadhyay and Aparesh Singh also join.

History

Historical Context

The 1993 Supreme Court judgment, part of the three Judges Cases (1981, 1993, 1998), created the collegium system that gives sitting judges primary control over appointments. Despite the 2015 NJC repeal and ongoing criticism for nepotism, the collegium continues to recommend new justices, expanding the bench and slowly increasing female representation.

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Story summary

Chief Justice Surya Kant administered oath to three new judges, raising the bench to 37.
The ceremony took place at 3:30 PM, deviating from the usual morning schedule.
The Supreme Court live-streamed the oath ceremony on its YouTube channel.
The Collegium recommended the appointments on September 28 and the Centre notified them on October 5.
Justice Sunita Agarwal becomes the third female judge as Justices D.K. Upadhyay and Aparesh Singh also join.

1 / 2