Three SC judges to take oath at 3:30 pm today in rare afternoon ceremony
Synopsis
In a break from decades of convention, three newly elevated Supreme Court judges will take their oaths at 3:30 pm on Tuesday — not the customary 10:30 am. The Centre cleared their appointments within days of the Collegium's 28 September recommendation, signalling an unusually quick turnaround that adds three experienced High Court Chief Justices to a bench recently expanded to 37 judges.
Key Takeaways
CJI Surya Kant will administer the oath of office to three new judges at 3:30 pm IST on 6 October 2026 — breaking the convention of morning ceremonies at 10:30 am .
The three new judges are Justice Sunita Agarwal , Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya , and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh , all former High Court Chief Justices.
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended their elevation on 28 September 2026 ; the Centre approved on 5 October 2026 .
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments via a post on X, citing the President's approval after consultation with CJI Surya Kant .
The appointments partially fill vacancies after the Centre raised the Supreme Court's sanctioned strength to 37 judges (excluding the CJI) earlier this year.
The ceremony will be live-streamed , continuing the apex court's transparency drive.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant will administer the oath of office to three new Supreme Court judges — Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh — at 3:30 pm IST on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. The swearing-in ceremony, which will be live-streamed from the apex court, marks a notable departure from the standard practice of administering judicial oaths at 10:30 am, when the Supreme Court typically assembles for hearings on working days.
An Unusual Afternoon Ceremony
Newly appointed Supreme Court judges have, by convention, taken their oaths in the morning — aligning with the court's daily sitting schedule. Tuesday's ceremony breaks that pattern, with an official communication from the court confirming the 3:30 pm start time and noting it will be live-streamed for public viewing. No formal explanation for the timing change has been issued.
Centre Cleared Elevation in Less Than 24 Hours
The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting on 28 September 2026, recommended the elevation of the three High Court Chief Justices to the apex court bench. The Centre moved swiftly, approving all three appointments on Monday, 5 October 2026 — within days of the Collegium's recommendation. Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments in a post on X, stating that the President, after consultation with CJI Surya Kant, had formally appointed all three as judges of the Supreme Court.
Who the Three New Judges Are
Justice Sunita Agarwal, born on 30 April 1966, was first appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on 21 November 2011. She went on to become Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on 23 July 2023.
Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, born on 16 June 1965, was also appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on 21 November 2011 and confirmed as a permanent judge on 6 August 2013. He served as Senior Judge of the Lucknow Bench before being appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in July 2023, and was later transferred as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, where he took oath on 21 January 2025.
Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, born on 7 July 1965, was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on 24 January 2012 and confirmed as a permanent judge on 16 January 2014. He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court between December 2022 and February 2023, before taking oath as Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on 17 April 2023. He was subsequently transferred as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, where he took oath on 19 July 2025.
Strengthening the Supreme Court Bench
The three appointments come after the Centre earlier this year raised the Supreme Court's sanctioned judicial strength to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Tuesday's swearing-in will help fill vacancies that had accumulated on the bench. Notably, this is among the faster Collegium-to-appointment turnarounds in recent memory, with the Centre clearing the recommendations within days of their public disclosure.
What Happens Next
Once sworn in, the three new judges will be assigned to benches and begin hearing cases from Wednesday. Their arrival is expected to ease some of the backlog burden on the apex court, which handles thousands of cases annually across constitutional, criminal, and civil matters. The live-streaming of the ceremony continues the Supreme Court's broader push toward greater transparency in judicial proceedings.
Point of View
But the speed of the Centre's clearance is the real story — the Collegium recommended on 28 September, the Centre approved on 5 October, and the oath follows on 6 October. That is unusually swift by the standards of an executive-judiciary relationship that has often been marked by prolonged delays in acting on Collegium recommendations. Whether this pace holds for future recommendations — particularly for appointments that may be more contentious — will be the test of whether this signals a structural reset or a one-off. Meanwhile, bringing three sitting High Court Chief Justices into a bench that is still not fully staffed even at its new sanctioned strength of 37 does address a genuine institutional deficit, but the backlog problem requires more than appointments alone.
NationPress
6 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which three judges are being sworn into the Supreme Court on 6 October 2026?
The three judges being sworn in are Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh — all former Chief Justices of High Courts. CJI Surya Kant will administer their oaths at 3:30 pm IST on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
Why is the Supreme Court oath ceremony being held in the afternoon?
Newly appointed Supreme Court judges conventionally take their oaths at 10:30 am, coinciding with the court's morning sitting time. Tuesday's ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 pm, which is a departure from that norm, though no official reason for the timing change has been stated.
Who recommended and who approved the three Supreme Court appointments?
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the elevations at its meeting on 28 September 2026. The Centre approved all three appointments on 5 October 2026, with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announcing the news via a post on X.
What is the current sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court?
The Centre earlier this year increased the Supreme Court's sanctioned judicial strength to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Tuesday's three appointments move the court closer to that full complement.
What is the background of the three newly elevated judges?
Justice Sunita Agarwal served as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court; Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya most recently served as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court; and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh served as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. All three have extensive High Court experience spanning over a decade.
