New Delhi | September 28, 2026- In a significant development concerning appointments to the higher judiciary, the Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on September 28, 2026, has recommended the elevation of three serving Chief Justices of High Courts as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
According to the Collegium statement, the recommendations include Justice Sunita Agarwal, Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court; Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court; and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana.
Notably, two of the three recommended judges — Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya — have the Allahabad High Court as their parent High Court, making the recommendations particularly significant for the Uttar Pradesh legal fraternity.
Three High Court Chief Justices Recommended for Elevation
The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the following judges:
1. Justice Sunita Agarwal
Chief Justice, Gujarat High Court
Parent High Court: Allahabad High Court
2. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
Chief Justice, Delhi High Court
Parent High Court: Allahabad High Court
3. Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh
Chief Justice, High Court for the State of Telangana
Parent High Court: Jharkhand High Court
Justice Sunita Agarwal – Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court
Justice Sunita Agarwal, presently serving as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, is among the three Chief Justices recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.
Her parent High Court is the Allahabad High Court.
Her recommendation assumes particular significance for the Allahabad High Court, especially as another judge belonging to the same parent High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, has also been recommended for elevation through the same Collegium statement.
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya – Chief Justice of Delhi High Court
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, presently serving as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, has also been recommended for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
Justice Upadhyaya’s parent High Court is also the Allahabad High Court.
The simultaneous recommendation of Justice Upadhyaya and Justice Sunita Agarwal means that two Chief Justices originating from the Allahabad High Court have been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court in the same Collegium meeting.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh – Chief Justice of Telangana High Court
The third recommendation is that of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, presently serving as the Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana.
Justice Singh’s parent High Court is the Jharkhand High Court.
He joins Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya in the Collegium’s latest set of recommendations for appointment to the country’s highest constitutional court.
What Happens After the Collegium Recommendation?
The Collegium’s recommendation is an important stage in the process of appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. A Collegium recommendation, however, does not itself constitute a formal appointment.
Under Article 124(2) of the Constitution of India, Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President of India in accordance with the prescribed constitutional process.
The recommendations will now undergo the subsequent appointment process involving the Union Government. If the recommendations culminate in appointments, formal notifications will be issued and the judges will assume office after taking the prescribed oath.
Significant Development for Allahabad High Court
One of the most notable aspects of the September 28 Collegium statement is the recommendation of two Chief Justices whose parent High Court is the Allahabad High Court.
Both Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya originated from the Allahabad High Court before subsequently serving as Chief Justices of other High Courts.
Their simultaneous recommendation is therefore of particular significance to members of the Bar and Bench of the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow Bench.
The third recommended judge, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, has the Jharkhand High Court as his parent High Court and is presently heading the Telangana High Court.
The Collegium statement dated September 28, 2026, confines itself to recommending the three Chief Justices for elevation and does not specify the dates on which the proposed appointments may be notified or when they may assume office as Judges of the Supreme Court.
