The Centre has notified the appointments of Justice Alok Aradhe (presently Chief Justice of Bombay High Court) and Justice Vipul Pancholi(CJ of Patna HC) as Supreme Court judges, two days after the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation for their elevation. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted in X : “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint (i) Shri Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court and (ii) Shri Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, Chief Justice, Patna High Court as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.”
The Collegium’s recommendation for Justice Pancholi’s elevation sparked a controversy after reports emerged that Justice BV Nagarathna of the Supreme Court had dissented in the Collegium meeting. Justice Nagarathna reportedly cited his relatively low rank in the All India Seniority and also raised concerns about the reasons behind his transfer from the Gujarat High Court to the Patna High Court in 2023. Also, the fact that Gujarat High Court already has two judges in the Supreme Court is also understood to have been raised. The Supreme Court Collegium’s official statement did not record Justice Nagarathna’s dissent or furnish any reasons for the decision. Justice Pancholi is in line to succeed as the Chief Justice of India from October 2031 to May 2033 as per seniority. With these appointments, the Supreme Court will be back to its full strength of 34 judges.