Centre notifies appointment of 2 new judges to top court

The Union government on Wednesday notified the appointment of two new judges to the Supreme Court — Bombay high court chief justice Alok Aradhe and Patna high court chief justice Vipul M Pancholi— moving quickly to confirm an elevation that turned controversial after Justice BV Nagarathna recorded a strong note of dissent against Justice Pancholi’s elevation, warning that his appointment would be “counterproductive” to the administration of justice and imperil the credibility of the collegium system.

- Utkarsh Anand

Justice Pancholi will be in line to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) fora tenure of nearly 18 months following the retirement of Justice Joymalya Bagchi in May 2031.

Announcing the appointments on X, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the President, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the two, clearing the path for the two chief justices to take oath as judges of the apex court.

The notification has come with lightning speed, in less than 48 hours of the collegium passing its resolution. Notably, the resolution uploaded on the Supreme Court website on Monday did not disclose that Justice Pancholi’s elevation was approved bya 4-1 majority.

Justice Nagarathna, the lone woman member of the five-judge collegium led by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and comprising justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath and JK Maheshwari, issued a detailed written dissent opposing Justice Pancholi’s elevation. People familiar with her note said she reiterated reservations she had first voiced in May, when the proposal was originally broached, and underlined that advancing the appointment despite serious concerns would damage institutional credibility.