Overview
- The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, recommended Justices Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Arun Palli and senior advocate V. Mohana for elevation in meetings held on May 22 and May 27, 2026.
- The names have been formally sent to the Union government for clearance and for the President to issue warrants of appointment before the judges can take their seats.
- The round uses seats created by the recent Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance and is framed as a move to relieve a record caseload of roughly 92,000–93,000 pending cases.
- If appointed, V. Mohana would become the second woman on the bench, and at least one choice—Arun Palli—was reported to supersede another eligible chief justice from the same parent high court, highlighting trade-offs over seniority and balance.
- The elevations are timed to bolster the court’s working strength ahead of multiple retirements through November 2026, and their final effect will depend on how quickly the Centre processes the Collegium’s recommendations.