President Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointment of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Pancholi as judges of the Supreme Court, restoring the court to its full strength of 34 judges.
Justice Alok Aradhe of the Bombay High Court and Justice Vipul Pancholi of the Patna High Court have been elevated to the Supreme Court of India. The Central Government issued the official notification of their appointment on Wednesday, just two days after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their promotion. Justice Pancholi is also in line to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in October 2031 after Justice Joymalya Bagchi retires.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal shared the news on social media platform X, saying, “Using the powers granted by the Constitution of India, and after consulting the Chief Justice of India, the President has appointed (i) Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and (ii) Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, as judges of the Supreme Court of India.”
With their swearing-in, the Supreme Court will function at its full strength of 34 judges, including the Chief Justice. However, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, a member of the five-judge Collegium, strongly disagreed with the decision to promote Justice Pancholi, saying that his appointment could be “harmful to the cause of justice.”
The recommendation for their promotion was made on August 25 by the Collegium, which included CJI B.R. Gavai, and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and B.V. Nagarathna.
Who is Justice Vipul Pancholi?
Justice Vipul Pancholi was born on May 28, 1968, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Science (Electronics) from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat University, and later earned a postgraduate law degree in the commercial stream from Sir L.A. Shah Law College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat University.
He joined the Bar in September 1991 and started practicing as an advocate in the Gujarat High Court. Later, he served as an Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in the Gujarat High Court for about seven years, until March 2006.
According to the Patna High Court’s website, Justice Pancholi was sworn in as a judge of the Patna High Court on July 24, 2023, and was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on July 21, 2025.
Who is Justice Alok Aradhe?
Justice Alok Aradhe was born on April 13, 1964, in Raipur (which was part of Madhya Pradesh at that time). He is currently the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Before this, he also served as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
Over the years, he has worked as a judge in the Karnataka High Court, Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and Madhya Pradesh High Court.
After completing his B.Sc. and LL.B. degrees, he began practicing law in the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1988. He specialized in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company law cases. Later, in 2007, he was designated as a Senior Advocate for his expertise and contribution to the legal field.
