SC reaches full strength as President Murmu clears names of 3 new judges

The Union government on Thursday officially notified the appointment of three new judges to the Supreme Court, just a day after President Droupadi Murmu approved the collegium’s recommendations. The appointments were proposed by the Supreme Court collegium on May 26, and Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai is expected to administer the oath on Friday morning.

The newly appointed judges are Justice N.V. Anjaria, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court; Justice Vijay Bishnoi, Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court; and Justice A.S. Chandurkar, a judge of the Bombay High Court. These elevations bring the Supreme Court to its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

This marks a swift and impactful start to CJI Gavai’s tenure, reflecting the collegium’s continued emphasis on regional balance and seniority within the judiciary. The appointments follow an intense period of judicial reform, including increased transparency measures initiated under former CJI Sanjiv Khanna, such as publishing collegium resolutions and asset declarations.

Meanwhile, discussions on the elevation of more women judges are expected after the retirement of Justice Bela M Trivedi on June 9. Until then, Justice BV Nagarathna will remain the only woman on the Supreme Court bench. These appointments come at a critical time when judicial accountability is under public focus, particularly after misconduct allegations against a high court judge led to the initiation of removal proceedings earlier this month.