Three New Supreme Court Judges to Take Oath at 3.30 PM, Departing From Usual Morning Practice

Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh will take the oath as judges of the apex court during a ceremony that will be live-streamed.

Newly appointed Supreme Court judges generally take their oath at 10.30 a.m., around the time the court begins its hearings on working days. However, an official communication issued by the Supreme Court said the swearing-in ceremony for the three judges on October 6 would be live-streamed from 3.30 p.m.

The three judges, who were serving as Chief Justices of High Courts, were elevated to the Supreme Court after the Centre approved the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium.

The Union government cleared their appointments on Monday, shortly after the Collegium recommended their elevation. Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments, stating that the President had appointed the three judges after consultation with CJI Surya Kant.

The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the three Chief Justices at its meeting held on September 28, 2026.

Justice Sunita Agarwal was born on April 30, 1966, and was appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011. She became Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on July 23, 2023.

Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya was born on June 16, 1965. He was appointed as a puisne judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011, and became a permanent judge on August 6, 2013. He was appointed Senior Judge of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in March 2023.

Upadhyaya later became Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and took oath on July 29, 2023. He was subsequently transferred to the Delhi High Court as Chief Justice, taking oath there on January 21, 2025.

Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, born on July 7, 1965, was appointed an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on January 24, 2012, before becoming 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 subsequently became Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court, taking oath on April 17, 2023, before being transferred to the Telangana High Court, where he took oath as Chief Justice on July 19, 2025.

The elevation of the three judges will further strengthen the Supreme Court's judicial strength after the Centre increased the sanctioned strength of the apex court earlier this year to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India.