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SC Collegium Recommends 3 HC Chief Justices for Elevation; Seniority Rank 4-6, One Pending Not Approved

PolityHIGH
Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCSSC GATeachingPrelims HighMains MediumStatic GK Link
28 Sept 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:3 CJs recommendedSeniority ranks 4,5,637 of 38 SC strengthCJ Upadhyaya retires June 2027CJ Agarwal retires April 2028CJ Agarwal third woman SC judge
Bodies:Supreme Court CollegiumDelhi High CourtGujarat High CourtTelangana High Court
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.SC Collegium recommends Justices Sunita Agarwal (Gujarat HC), Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (Delhi HC), and Aparesh Kumar Singh (Telangana HC) for elevation as Supreme Court judges.

2.They rank 4th, 5th, and 6th in all-India seniority among High Court Chief Justices; if approved, SC strength rises to 37 of 38.

3.Examiner's angle: Note the rejection of CJ Sandhawalia's earlier recommendation – a key example of executive-judiciary dynamics in appointments.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · Medium

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended three High Court Chief Justices for elevation to the Supreme Court. This impacts the composition and seniority structure of the apex court. Notably, one earlier recommendation (CJ G.S. Sandhawalia) was not approved by the Centre, highlighting tensions in the collegium system.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Recommendation DateSeptember 28, 2026
Judges Recommended3 (CJs Agarwal, Upadhyaya, Singh)
Seniority Rank4th, 5th, 6th
Current SC Strength37 (of 38 sanctioned)
Retirement DatesUpadhyaya: June 2027; Agarwal: April 2028
Previous Rejected RecommendationCJ G.S. Sandhawalia (3rd senior)
Third Woman SC JudgeCJ Agarwal (if approved)

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Recommendation Date: September 28, 2026
  • ›Judges Recommended: 3 (CJs Agarwal, Upadhyaya, Singh)
  • ›Target this Data: Three CJs recommended: Sunita Agarwal (Gujarat HC), D.K. Upadhyaya (Delhi HC), Aparesh K. Singh (Telangana HC) – seniority ranks 4,5,6.
  • ›Target this Rejection: CJ G.S. Sandhawalia (rank 3) not approved by Centre.
  • ›Target this Milestone: CJ Agarwal would be third woman SC judge.

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Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

Which body recommended the names of three High Court Chief Justices for elevation to the Supreme Court?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements:

1. The SC Collegium recommended three CJs who rank 4th, 5th, and 6th in overall seniority among High Court Chief Justices.

2. The earlier recommendation of CJ G.S. Sandhawalia was approved by the Centre.

3. CJ Agarwal will be the third woman judge in the Supreme Court if her elevation is approved.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

How many sitting judges will the Supreme Court have if all three recommendations are approved?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What does the non-approval of CJ Sandhawalia's earlier recommendation by the Centre indicate?

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