Supreme Court Judge Appointments | October 2026

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On 6 October, the Supreme Court of India saw the appointment of three new judges to its  Bench, following swift clearance by the union government just days after the Collegium’s recommendation.

With Justice Sunita Agarwal’s appointment, the Supreme Court will have three women judges on its bench. This was the second woman judge recommended by the CJI Surya Kant-led Collegium after Justice V. Mohana who was appointed earlier this year. Justice Agarwal previously served as  the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court for three years. She hails from the Allahabad High Court. She was part of the bench which passed decisions against discrimination of LGBTQ persons, and stayed the arrests of persons distributing food during the COVID-19 lockdown. She is expected to retire on 29 April 2031. 

Justice D.K. Upadhyaya also hails from the Allahabad High Court, having previously served as the Chief Justice of the Delhi and Bombay High Courts. Practitioners speaking to the Supreme Court Observer praised his elevation, while highlighting his expertise in environmental, service and human rights matters. As the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, he prepared a preliminary report looking into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, noting that it required a “deeper probe”. He is expected to retire on 15 June 2030. 

Justice A.K. Singh is the second judge to be appointed from the Jharkhand Parent High Court, following Justice Shree Chandrashekar’s appointment earlier this year. Prior to his elevation,, Justice Singh served as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Justice Singh will retire on 6 July 2030, after a four year long tenure. 

Our newsletter covers the appointments and has insights from practitioners. Our judge profiles will bring you all the details you need to know about the three new judges. Follow scobserver.in for more!