New Delhi: Chief Justice of India B R Gavai will administer the oath to Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi as Supreme Court judges on Friday. These High Court judges were elevated to the Supreme Court on August 27.
With the elevation of these judges, the Supreme Court will regain its full working strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice. On August 25, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the names of Justice Aradhe and Justice Pancholi to the Center for elevation as judges of the apex court.
The five-judge collegium headed by the Chief Justice also included Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice BV Nagarathna. The Collegium uploaded its proposal on the Supreme Court website after a meeting held on Monday. The Centre moved its decision at a fast pace and notified the promotion of the High Court judges within just two days.
However, Collegium member and Supreme Court Justice B.V. Nagarathna strongly disagreed with the Collegium’s recommendation to elevate Justice Pancholi to the top court, saying his appointment would be “detrimental” to the judiciary.
Justice Pancholi will become the Chief Justice of India for 16 months from May 2031 after the retirement of Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Justice Aradhe is currently the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. He was born on April 13, 1964 in Raipur. He has been a former Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. He has also served as a judge of the Karnataka High Court, Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Madhya Pradesh High Court. He has also served as Acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and Jammu and Kashmir High Court. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 29, 2009.
Justice Pancholi was born on May 28, 1968 in Ahmedabad. If appointed, he will retire as Chief Justice of India on May 27, 2033. In July 2023, he was transferred to Patna High Court, where he took oath as a judge. He was appointed Chief Justice of Patna High Court in July 2025. He enrolled as an advocate in September 1991 and started his practice in Gujarat High Court.
