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Supreme Court Shatters Tradition: Afternoon Oath for New Judges
7 Oct
Summary
- Three new judges sworn in on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, breaking tradition.
- The swearing-in ceremony occurred at 3:30 PM, a first in Supreme Court history.
- Court's working strength will rise to 37 against a sanctioned 38 judges.
The Supreme Court witnessed an unprecedented event on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, as three new judges took their oath of office in the afternoon. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant presided over the ceremony, which commenced at 3:30 PM, a significant departure from the customary 10:30 AM schedule. This afternoon swearing-in is a historical first for the apex court, established in 1950.
The Centre officially appointed Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh to the Supreme Court following a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium. With these new appointments, the court's operational strength will now be 37 judges, just one short of the total sanctioned strength of 38, including the Chief Justice.
Justice Sunita Agarwal, formerly the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, will be the third woman judge to serve on the Supreme Court. Her tenure extends until April 2031. Justices Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh, previously Chief Justices of the Delhi and Telangana High Courts respectively, will retire in 2030. The shift in the ceremony time is reportedly for the convenience of the incoming judges.
