CJI Surya Kant administers oath to three new judges, judges count now 37 in Supreme Court

Chief Justice Surya Kant on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) administered oath of office to three new judges elevated to the Supreme Court, taking its working strength to 37, one short of the sanctioned 38.

Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh took oath in the auditorium of the new Supreme Court block.

All the Supreme Court judges, judicial officers and officials from different high courts were present on the occasion.

Family members and lawyers from the Supreme Court and other high courts were also present during the ceremony.

On Monday (October 5, 2026), Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal made the announcement about the government clearing the names of the three judges.

The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the names on September 28.

While the current working strength of the apex court is 34 and upon swearing in of the three new judges, the effective strength has gone up to 37.

The top court's sanctioned strength is 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. It was recently increased from 34 following the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026.

With Justice Sunita Agarwal's appointment, the number of women judges in the top court has gone up to three, including Justice B V Nagarathna, who has been a judge in the top court since August 31, 2021, and Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana, who was appointed on June 2, 2026.