Chief Justice Surya Kant on Tuesday 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.
The ceremony was live streamed by the Supreme Court. Justice Sunita Agarwal, who was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, began her judicial career at the Allahabad High Court. Her elevation also takes the number of women judges currently serving in the Supreme Court to three.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at 3:30 PM, a departure from the usual practice of administering the oath to newly appointed Supreme Court judges in the morning. The judges’ elevation was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium on September 28 and notified by the Centre on October 5. She was elevated to the High Court Bench in 2011 and became its permanent judge in 2013 before being appointed Chief Justice of Gujarat in July 2023. Justice Upadhyaya, who enrolled as an advocate on May 11, 1991, was appointed as the chief standing counsel for Uttar Pradesh in May 2007 and continued to hold that office till his elevation as judge of the Allahabad High Court. He was appointed as a puisne judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011 and took oath as the permanent judge on August 6, 2013. Justice Upadhyaya took oath as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on July 29, 2023 and was transferred as the Delhi High Court Chief Justice on January 21, 2025.
