Supreme Court Expands Full Bench with New Judges Induction

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) - On Friday, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai administered the oath of office to two newly elevated Supreme Court judges: Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi.

Their induction into the Supreme Court took place on August 27. With this addition, the Supreme Court has regained a full bench strength comprising 34 judges, inclusive of the Chief Justice of India.

Justice Pancholi is expected to assume the role of Chief Justice of India in October 2031, succeeding Justice Joymalya Bagchi upon his retirement on October 2, 2031. Following this, Justice Pancholi will fulfill the duties of CJI until his retirement on May 27, 2033.

The Supreme Court collegium had put forth these names for elevation on August 25, but the decision was met with dissent from Justice B V Nagarathna, a member of the collegium.

Expressing her strong opposition, Justice Nagarathna, the only woman judge in the Supreme Court, voiced concerns that Justice Pancholi's appointment could be detrimental to the judiciary’s integrity, potentially undermining the remaining trust in the collegium system.

Justice Alok Aradhe, born on April 13, 1964, was first appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 29, 2009, and became a permanent judge on February 15, 2011.

He served in various capacities across different high courts, including Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka. His tenure as the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court commenced on July 3, 2022, ending on October 14, 2022.

Justice Aradhe assumed the role of Chief Justice at the Telangana High Court on July 23, 2023, following his appointment on July 19, 2023. He later became the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on January 21, 2025. Since enrolling as an advocate on July 12, 1988, he practiced in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company law before being designated as a senior advocate in April 2007.

Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, born on May 28, 1968, in Ahmedabad, was initially appointed as an Additional Judge at the Gujarat High Court on October 1, 2014, and confirmed as a permanent judge on June 10, 2016.

His subsequent transfer to the Patna High Court came with his oath-taking on July 24, 2023, leading to his appointment as Chief Justice on July 21, 2025. Justice Pancholi embarked on his legal career in September 1991, practicing primarily at the Gujarat High Court.

He also held the position of Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the same court for a seven-year tenure until March 2006. Additionally, he contributed as a visiting faculty member at Sir L A Shah Law College, Ahmedabad, for over two decades starting in December 1993.

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