The Supreme Court of India is set to reach its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges with the elevation of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi. The government confirmed their appointments on Wednesday, two days after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names.
Justice Pancholi, currently serving as Chief Justice of Patna High Court, has also been placed in line to assume the country’s highest judicial office. He will succeed Justice Joymalya Bagchi as the Chief Justice of India on 3 October 2031, following Bagchi’s retirement a day earlier. Pancholi is scheduled to retire on 27 May 2033.
Justice Aradhe, born on 13 April 1964, carries over three decades of legal and judicial experience. He began his career as an advocate in 1988, specialising in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company law in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where he was designated a senior advocate in 2007. Elevated as an additional judge of the same court in 2009, he was confirmed as permanent judge in 2011.
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Over the years, he has served across multiple high courts. In 2016, he was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir, later becoming its acting Chief Justice in 2018. He was moved to Karnataka High Court in November that year, before assuming charge as its acting Chief Justice in 2022. The following year, he was appointed Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. In January 2024, he took charge as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
Justice Pancholi, born on 28 May 1968 in Ahmedabad, began his practice at the Gujarat High Court in 1991. He went on to serve as assistant government pleader and additional public prosecutor for the state, a position he held for seven years until 2006. Alongside his practice, he also taught law as visiting faculty at Sir L A Shah Law College, Ahmedabad, for over two decades.
Elevated as an additional judge of Gujarat High Court in 2014, Pancholi was confirmed as permanent judge in 2016. In July 2023, he was transferred to Patna High Court and sworn in as a judge. Within a year, in July 2024, he was appointed Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
With the two elevations, the Supreme Court not only attains its full strength but also sees its future leadership mapped out years in advance, reflecting the institutional continuity of India’s apex judiciary.
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