Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai on Friday administered the oath of workplace to 2 new judges of the Supreme Courtroom, Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, with the latter’s appointment turning controversial after Justice BV Nagarathna recorded a powerful be aware of dissent towards his elevation, warning that his appointment can be “counter-productive” to the administration of justice and imperil the credibility of the collegium system.
The Union authorities on Wednesday notified the appointments in lower than 48 hours of the collegium’s suggestion. With their swearing-in, the Supreme Courtroom has reached its sanctioned power of 34 judges, together with the CJI, at the same time as Justice Nagarathna stays the lone lady choose on the bench.
Justice Pancholi’s elevation, regardless of being 57th within the all-India seniority of excessive courtroom judges, has outmoded three ladies judges senior to him in addition to 21 chief justices whose preliminary appointment as excessive courtroom judges predates his. The collegium final really useful three ladies judges for elevation in 2021, and no additional suggestions for girls judges have been made since then.
Justice Pancholi may also be in line to change into the Chief Justice of India for almost 18 months between October 2031 and Could 2033. His appointment was permitted by a 4-1 majority within the collegium, although the official decision uploaded on the courtroom’s web site didn’t disclose the break up. Justice Nagarathna, the lone lady member of the five-judge collegium that was led by CJI Gavai and in addition comprised justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, and JK Maheshwari, had issued an in depth written dissent.
Central to her objection was Justice Pancholi’s switch from the Gujarat excessive courtroom to the Patna excessive courtroom in July 2023, which she described because the product of thought-about deliberation and never a routine transfer. Her be aware recalled that the switch adopted consultations with a number of judges, together with justices MR Shah (since retired), Vikram Nath, and JB Pardiwala, after which Gujarat chief justice Aravind Kumar, all of whom concurred with the choice. She urged that the confidential materials underpinning the switch be reviewed earlier than taking any name on his elevation.
Her be aware additionally raised two further axes of concern. First, seniority, highlighting that Justice Pancholi at the moment stands at quantity 57 within the all-India seniority record of excessive courtroom judges, and a number of other meritorious and extra senior judges throughout excessive courts stay out there for consideration. Second, illustration – that with justices Pardiwala and NV Anjaria already on the Supreme Courtroom bench from the Gujarat excessive courtroom, including a 3rd choose from the identical excessive courtroom dangers skewing geographic and institutional steadiness when many excessive courts stay unrepresented or under-represented.
Justice Nagarathna’s be aware maintained that elevating Justice Pancholi regardless of these considerations would danger “no matter credibility the collegium system nonetheless holds.” She sought her dissent to be printed on the Supreme Courtroom web site in line with latest developments of transparency, although the decision launched earlier this week didn’t annex her be aware.
Born in 1964, Justice Aradhe has served throughout a number of excessive courts in his judicial profession. Practising primarily in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and firm issues earlier than the Madhya Pradesh excessive courtroom at Jabalpur, he was designated as a senior advocate in April 2007. He started his judicial profession as an extra choose of the Madhya Pradesh excessive courtroom in December 2009 and have become a everlasting choose in February 2011. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir excessive courtroom in September 2016, the place he additionally served as performing chief justice. In November 2018, he was transferred to the Karnataka excessive courtroom, later serving as its performing chief justice between July and October 2022. In July 2023, he was appointed chief justice of the Telangana excessive courtroom, and in January 2025, he was shifted as chief justice of the Bombay excessive courtroom.
Justice Pancholi was born in Could 1968 in Ahmedabad. He enrolled as an advocate in September 1991, starting his practise on the Gujarat excessive courtroom. He served as assistant authorities pleader and extra public prosecutor for seven years till March 2006. In October 2014, he was elevated as an extra choose of the Gujarat excessive courtroom and confirmed as a everlasting choose in June 2016. After almost a decade in Gujarat, he was transferred to the Patna excessive courtroom in July 2023. He was appointed chief justice of the Patna excessive courtroom in July 2025.
