Chief Justice Surya Kant administered the oath to three new justices on Tuesday, raising the Supreme Court’s working strength to 37. Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Aparesh Kumar Singh joined the top court. This move brings the total number of women judges in the court to three today.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their names to the government on September 28. Before the three elevations, the top court had a working strength of 34.
A day after Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that the government had cleared the names of three judges for elevation to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Surya Kant on Tuesday administered the oath of office to Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh.
With their elevation, the Supreme Court’s working strength rose to 37, one short of its sanctioned strength of 38.
The three new judges took oath at the auditorium of the new Supreme Court block in the presence of all sitting Supreme Court judges, judicial officers and officials from various high courts. Their family members and lawyers from the Supreme Court and high courts were also present at the ceremony.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their names to the government on September 28. Before the three elevations, the top court had a working strength of 34.
Supreme Court Now Has Three Women Judges
With Justice Sunita Agarwal’s appointment, the number of women judges in the Supreme Court has risen to three.
She joins Justices BV Nagarathna and Venkita Subramani Mohana. Justice Nagarathna has been a Supreme Court judge since August 31, 2021, while Justice Mohana was appointed to the top court on June 2, 2026.
While Justices Agarwal and Nagarathna came to the Supreme Court after serving in high courts, Justice Mohana was elevated directly from the Bar. She had been a senior advocate in the Supreme Court.
Justice Nagarathna is also set to become India’s first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027, although her tenure as CJI will last less than a month.
Who Are The New Supreme Court Judges?
Justices Agarwal and Upadhyaya hail from the Allahabad High Court, while Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh is from the Jharkhand High Court.
Justice Agarwal was Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Justice Upadhyaya was Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and Justice Singh was Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court before their elevation to the Supreme Court.
Justice Sunita Agarwal
Justice Sunita Agarwal was born on April 30, 1966, and enrolled as an advocate with the Uttar Pradesh Bar Association on December 16, 1990.
After 21 years of practice, she was elevated as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011. She was sworn in as a permanent judge on August 6, 2013.
After serving as an Allahabad High Court judge for 12 years, Justice Agarwal was appointed Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on July 23, 2023.
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya was born on June 16, 1965, in Muskarai village of Ambedkar Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
He graduated in law from Lucknow University in 1991 and enrolled as an advocate on May 11 that year.
He was appointed Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh in May 2007 and continued in the post until his elevation to the Allahabad High Court.
He was appointed a puisne judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011, and became a permanent judge on August 6, 2013.
Justice Upadhyaya took oath as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on July 29, 2023, and was transferred as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on January 21, 2025.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was born on July 7, 1965, and obtained his LLB degree from the University of Delhi.
He enrolled as an advocate in the Patna High Court in 1990 and practised there until 2000. He then practised in the Jharkhand High Court from 2001.
He was appointed 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 oath as Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on April 17, 2023, and was transferred as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court on July 19, 2025.