Collegium recommends three High Court Chief Justices for Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the Chief Justices of the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court.The three are Justice Sunita Agarwal of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya of the Delhi High Court and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh of the Telangana High Court.The five-member Collegium is headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Its other members are Justices Vikram Nath, BV Nagarathna, MM Sundresh and PS Narasimha.The Supreme Court currently has 34 serving judges, including the Chief Justice of India. If the Centre approves all three recommendations and the judges take oath, its working strength will rise to 37, one short of its sanctioned strength of 38. The recommendations come ahead of further changes to the Supreme Court’s strength.Justice Satish Chandra Sharma is due to retire on November 29. CJI Surya Kant is due to retire on February 9, 2027, after which Justice Vikram Nath is expected to succeed him. Justice BV Nagarathna is in line to become India’s first woman CJI after Justice Nath’s retirement in September 2027.WHO ARE THE THREE JUDGES?Justice Agarwal practised law at the Allahabad High Court for over 20 years before being elevated as a judge in 2011. She was appointed Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in July 2023.Justice Upadhyaya served as a judge of the Allahabad High Court and later as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before taking charge of the Delhi High Court in January 2025.Justice Singh served on the Jharkhand High Court and was Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court before taking charge of the Telangana High Court in July last year.- Ends