President appoints five new Supreme Court judges under Article 124(2)
By notifications dated 1 June 2026 under Article 124(2), the President appointed four High Court Chief Justices and senior advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana as judges of the Supreme Court.
Summary
The President of India, by notifications dated 1 June 2026 issued under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution, appointed five judges of the Supreme Court. The 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; Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh; and Venkita Subramani Mohana, a senior advocate. The appointments take effect from the date they assume charge. On 5 May 2026, the Union Cabinet had approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 for introduction in Parliament, to raise the number of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
Key facts
- Notifications
- 1 June 2026, under Article 124(2)
- Justice Sheel Nagu
- CJ, Punjab and Haryana HC
- Justice Shree Chandrashekhar
- CJ, Bombay HC
- Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva
- CJ, Madhya Pradesh HC
- Justice Arun Palli
- CJ, J&K and Ladakh HC
- From the Bar
- Venkita Subramani Mohana, senior advocate
- Effective
- From the date they assume charge
- Strength Bill
- Cabinet (5 May 2026) approved raising judges from 33 to 37, excluding the CJI
Practice MCQs 4 questions
The notifications of 1 June 2026 appointing five Supreme Court judges were issued under which provision of the Constitution?
Show answer
Correct answer: B — Article 124(2)
The Law Ministry notifications cite clause (2) of Article 124, under which the President appoints Supreme Court judges.
Who among the following was appointed a Supreme Court judge on 1 June 2026 directly from the Bar as a senior advocate?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Venkita Subramani Mohana
Venkita Subramani Mohana was a senior advocate; the other four appointees were High Court Chief Justices.
Justice Sheel Nagu, appointed a Supreme Court judge on 1 June 2026, was until then the Chief Justice of which High Court?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — Punjab and Haryana
Justice Sheel Nagu was Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana.
Consider the following statements: 1. Justice Shree Chandrashekhar was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before his appointment to the Supreme Court on 1 June 2026. 2. On 5 May 2026, the Union Cabinet approved a Bill to raise the number of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: the Law Ministry release names him as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and the Cabinet release of 5 May 2026 gives the 33-to-37 increase excluding the CJI.