CJI Surya Kant Administers Oath to Three New Supreme Court Judges

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday administered the oath of office to three newly appointed Supreme Court judges — Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at 3.30 p.m. and was live-streamed, marking a departure from the usual practice of administering the oath to newly appointed Supreme Court judges in the morning. Typically, such ceremonies are held around 10.30 a.m., when the apex court begins its proceedings on working days.

The three judges, who were serving as Chief Justices of High Courts, were elevated to the Supreme Court following a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium at its meeting on September 28, 2026.

The Centre approved their elevation on Monday. Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced on X that President Droupadi Murmu, after consultation with CJI Surya Kant, had appointed the three Chief Justices as judges of the Supreme Court.

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

Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, born on June 16, 1965, was appointed a puisne judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011, and became a permanent judge in August 2013. He served as Senior Judge of the Lucknow Bench from March 2023 before becoming Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in July 2023. He was later appointed Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, taking oath on January 21, 2025.

Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, born on July 7, 1965, joined the Jharkhand High Court as an Additional Judge in January 2012 and became a permanent judge in January 2014. He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court before becoming Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court in April 2023. He was subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, where he took oath in July 2025.

The appointments come after the Centre earlier this year increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India.