The Centre has cleared the appointment of five new judges to the Supreme Court, including Justice Arun Palli, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
According to Bar & Bench, the appointments were approved by the Central government and announced by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. The other appointees are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; and senior advocate V. Mohana.
Bar & Bench reported that the appointments come shortly after the government increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges through an ordinance. With the latest appointments, 37 positions in the apex court stand filled.
Justice Palli, whose parent High Court is Punjab and Haryana, was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in April 2025. Born in Patiala on September 18, 1964, he graduated in law from Panjab University in 1988 and practised extensively before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
He served as Additional Advocate General for Punjab from 2004 to 2007 and was designated a Senior Advocate in 2007. Elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2013, Justice Palli also served as Executive Chairman of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority and led several mediation and Lok Adalat initiatives aimed at reducing pending cases.
According to Bar & Bench, the recommendation for his elevation was made by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Justice Palli is expected to serve for a little over three years in the Supreme Court.
