The Centre has approved the appointment of five new Supreme Court judges, including Senior Advocate V Mohana.
The appointments come after the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court was increased from 34 to 38 judges.
V Mohana becomes only the second woman in India’s history to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court.
The Government of India has cleared the appointment of four High Court Chief Justices and Senior Advocate V Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court of India.
The development was announced by Arjun Ram Meghwal on X on Friday morning.
The appointments come days after the Centre increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges through an ordinance. With these five appointments, 37 positions in the apex court now stand filled.
Justice Sheel Nagu: From Madhya Pradesh To Supreme Court
Justice Sheel Nagu was serving as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before his elevation.
Born on January 1, 1965, he enrolled as an advocate in 1987 and primarily practised in civil, constitutional and service matters. He became a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2011 and later served as Acting Chief Justice there before being appointed Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2024.
Justice Nagu was also part of the in-house inquiry committee probing the cash-at-residence controversy involving Yashwant Varma.
He will retire on December 31, 2029.
Justice Shree Chandrashekhar To Represent Jharkhand In SC
Justice Shree Chandrashekhar currently serves as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, with Jharkhand as his parent High Court.
Born in Ranchi on May 25, 1965, he practised law for nearly two decades before being elevated to the Jharkhand High Court in 2013.
He later served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court and was appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in 2025.
Justice Chandrashekhar was also part of the Parliamentary Judges Inquiry Committee examining allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.
His benches have heard several high-profile cases, including matters related to the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case and the Malegaon blasts case.
He will retire on May 24, 2030.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva Gets Elevation
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has been serving as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Born on December 26, 1964, he studied at Sri Ram College of Commerce and the Campus Law Centre.
He became an Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court in 1995 and was designated Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court in 2011.
Justice Sachdeva was appointed judge of the Delhi High Court in 2013 and later transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where he became Chief Justice in 2025.
He is expected to have a tenure of around three-and-a-half years in the Supreme Court.
Justice Arun Palli Elevated From J&K And Ladakh HC
Justice Arun Palli was serving as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh before his elevation.
Born in Patiala on September 18, 1964, he practised extensively before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and served as Additional Advocate General for Punjab between 2004 and 2007.
He was designated Senior Advocate in 2007 and became a High Court judge in 2013.
Justice Palli later headed several mediation and Lok Adalat initiatives while serving as Executive Chairman of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority.
He will retire after a little over three years in the apex court.
V Mohana Becomes Second Woman Elevated Directly From Bar
V Mohana has created history by becoming only the second woman in India to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court after Indu Malhotra in 2018.
Her appointment will also make her the 12th woman judge in the history of the Supreme Court.
Born on June 27, 1966, Mohana hails from Coimbatore and graduated from Coimbatore Law College in 1988.
She trained under C. S. Vaidyanathan, became an Advocate-on-Record in 1996 and was designated Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in 2015.
She has appeared in several important cases, including litigation related to permanent commission for women officers in the armed forces and the Karnataka hijab ban case.
Her elevation will give her a tenure of nearly five years, with retirement due in June 2031.
