Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Collegium Recommends Three High Court Chief Justices for Supreme Court
India’s Supreme Court Collegium has recommended three High Court chief justices to become Supreme Court judges.
The judges are Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh.
They lead the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts, respectively.
The recommendation was made on September 28, 2026.
The five-member Collegium includes the Chief Justice of India and four other Supreme Court judges.
The Centre must still process and approve the recommendations through the usual procedure.
If all three are approved, the Supreme Court would have 37 working judges out of 38 approved positions.
One report said Agarwal would be the second woman judge proposed for elevation this year.
Another report said Upadhyaya submitted an internal report and administrative communication related to a cash-discovery case.
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended Gujarat Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal, Delhi Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Telangana Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh for elevation to the Supreme Court.
The five-member Collegium made the recommendation at its meeting on September 28, 2026.
The Collegium comprises Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh and P S Narasimha.
If approved by the Centre, the Supreme Court would have 37 working judges against a sanctioned strength of 38, compared with 34 currently.
The recommendations will follow the established appointment process; reports also noted Agarwal’s proposed elevation as a second such recommendation of a woman judge this year and Upadhyaya’s role in an internal report concerning a cash-discovery case.
- Who
- Chief Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh, recommended by the five-member Supreme Court Collegium.
- What
- The Collegium recommended the three High Court chief justices for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court.
- When
- The recommendation was made at the Collegium meeting on September 28, 2026.
- Where
- The recommendation concerns the Supreme Court and the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts.
- Why
- The articles do not provide a specific rationale for selecting the three judges; the recommendations are intended to proceed through the Supreme Court appointment process.
- Recommended judges
- Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh
- Current posts
- Chief Justices of the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts, respectively
- Parent High Courts
- Allahabad for Agarwal and Upadhyaya; Jharkhand for Singh
- Collegium
- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh and P S Narasimha
- Current Supreme Court strength
- 34 working judges
- Sanctioned strength
- 38 judges, following the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act in 2026
- Projected strength
- 37 working judges if all three recommendations are approved
- Next step
- The recommendations will be processed under the established procedure and require action by the Centre
Sources
Supreme Court Collegium recommends three High Court Chief Justices as apex court judges - Telegraph India
Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Gujarat, Delhi And Telangana Chief Justices For Elevation As Apex Court Judges
