The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, in consecutive meetings held on May 22 and May 27, recommended the appointment of four High Court Chief Justices and one woman senior advocate as apex court judges.

The Collegium resolution was published late on Wednesday (May 27).

The Collegium has proposed the name of senior advocate V. Mohana, a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court, as a judge of the top court. Ms. Mohana was one of the leading counsels in a series of cases highlighting structural career inequalities for women officers in the armed forces.

Currently, the Supreme Court has only one woman judge, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, who is also part of the Supreme Court Collegium.

The High Court Chief Justices recommended for the top court Bench are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana; Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; and Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

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Regional, gender lens

The Collegium’s choice of judges reflects a focus on regional and gender representation. Justice Nagu’s parent High Court is Madhya Pradesh, Justice Chandrashekhar is originally from the Jharkhand High Court, Justice Sachdeva’s parent High Court is Delhi and Justice Palli is from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The last woman judge appointed to the Supreme Court was in August 2021. Ms. Mohana, if appointed, would be the first after a long gap of over five years.

The recommendations come in the wake of a recent increase in the total strength of judges, including the Chief Justice of India, to 38 from the earlier 32.

The court would see more vacancies with the retirement of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Pankaj Mithal in June even as the case pendency rate in the apex court threatens to cross the six-figure mark.