Three newly appointed judges took oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, taking the working strength of the top court to 37 against its sanctioned strength of 38.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant administered the oath to Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh at a swearing-in ceremony held at 3.30 pm.
Justice Agarwal was serving as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Upadhyaya as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and Justice Singh as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court before their elevation to the Supreme Court. Their appointments were notified by the Central government on October 5.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their elevation on September 28.
Supreme Court Now One Judge Short of Full Strength
With the three judges assuming office, the Supreme Court now has 37 judges, including the Chief Justice of India, leaving one vacancy against the sanctioned strength of 38.
Justice Agarwal and Justice Upadhyaya have the Allahabad High Court as their parent High Court, while Justice Singh belongs to the Jharkhand High Court.
Justice Sunita Agarwal
Justice Sunita Agarwal was serving as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court since July 2023. She originally belongs to the Allahabad High Court.
She graduated in law from Awadh University in 1989 and entered the legal profession in December 1990. She was appointed as a judge in November 2011.
Justice Agarwal is due to retire from the Supreme Court in April 2031.
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya studied law at Lucknow University and enrolled as an advocate in May 1991.
He served as Chief Standing Counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh from May 2007 until his elevation as a judge in November 2011.
He became Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in July 2023 and was transferred as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in January 2025.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh studied law at the University of Delhi and enrolled as an advocate in 1990.
He practised before the Patna High Court from 1990 to 2000 and later before the Jharkhand High Court until his elevation as a judge in 2012.
He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court from December 20, 2022 to February 19, 2023.
Justice Singh was subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court, where he took oath on April 17, 2023. He was later transferred to the Telangana High Court and took oath there as Chief Justice on July 19, 2025.
