New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Tuesday administered the oath of office to three new judges of the Supreme Court — Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Aparesh Kumar Singh.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was live-streamed, was held at 3.30 p.m., marking a departure from the usual practice of administering the oath to newly appointed Supreme Court judges in the morning.
Newly appointed Supreme Court judges usually take the oath of office at 10.30 a.m., coinciding with the time when the top court assembles on working days to conduct hearings.
The three Chief Justices of the High Courts took the oath as judges of the apex court after the Centre cleared their elevation on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium this week.
“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 28th September, 2026 has recommended elevation of the following Chief Justices of the High Courts as Judges in the Supreme Court,” the Collegium had said in a statement uploaded on the apex court’s official website.
Acting swiftly on the Collegium’s recommendation, the Centre on Monday approved the elevation of Justices Agarwal, Upadhyaya, and Singh.
In a post on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that the President, after consultation with CJI Surya Kant, had appointed the three Chief Justices as judges of the apex court.
Justice Agarwal, born on April 30, 1966, was appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011. She became the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on July 23, 2023.
Justice Upadhyaya, born on June 16, 1965, was appointed as a puisne Judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011 and became a permanent Judge on August 6, 2013. He became the Senior Judge of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on March 28, 2023. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and took the oath on July 29, 2023, before being transferred as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, where he took the oath on January 21, 2025.
Justice Singh, born on July 7, 1965, was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on January 24, 2012 and was confirmed as a Permanent Judge on January 16, 2014. He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court from December 20, 2022, to February 19, 2023. He took the oath as Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on April 17, 2023, and was subsequently transferred as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, where he took the oath on July 19, 2025.
The appointments will further strengthen the Supreme Court’s judicial strength following the Centre’s decision earlier this year to increase the sanctioned strength to 37, excluding the CJI.