The Supreme Court is set to function at near-full strength after the Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of five new judges, taking the apex court's working strength to 37 against its newly expanded sanctioned strength of 38.

According to separate notifications issued by the Department of Justice under the Union Law Ministry, senior Supreme Court advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana, 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, and Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, have been elevated as judges of the Supreme Court.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced on X that the President had approved the appointments under Article 124(2) of the Constitution.

The appointments come just four days after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the five names on May 27. The Collegium was headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, making it the first major set of judicial appointments under his leadership since he assumed office in November 2025.

Once the newly appointed judges take oath and assume charge, the Supreme Court's strength will formally rise to 37 judges, leaving only one vacancy.

The development follows the Centre's decision to increase the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India, through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.

Prior to the expansion, the court already had two vacancies. The increase in sanctioned strength created a total of six vacant positions. With Monday's five appointments, only one post remains unfilled.

The expansion is aimed at addressing the growing pendency of cases before the apex court and facilitating the constitution of more regular Constitution Benches. The latest appointments are expected to strengthen the court's capacity while also reflecting considerations of seniority, merit, regional representation and gender diversity.