New Delhi: The central government on Wednesday approved the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation for the elevation of Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi and Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe to the apex court.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments on X, stating: “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint (i) Shri Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court, and (ii) Shri Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, Chief Justice, Patna High Court, as Judges of the Supreme Court of India.”
With these appointments, the Supreme Court will function at its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges.
Collegium Recommendation and Dissent
The five-member Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and B.V. Nagarathna, met on August 25 and recommended the elevation of Justices Aradhe and Pancholi.
However, the proposal to elevate Justice Pancholi faced strong opposition from Justice Nagarathna, the sole woman judge on the Supreme Court bench. In her dissent, she cautioned that Justice Pancholi’s elevation, despite his lower seniority and the circumstances of his earlier transfer from Gujarat High Court to Patna High Court, could prove “counter-productive” to the judiciary.
According to reports, Justice Nagarathna argued that moving forward with his appointment risked undermining “whatever credibility the collegium system still holds.” She noted that his transfer from Gujarat to Patna in July 2023 was not a routine decision, but one reached after extensive consultations with senior judges, all of whom concurred.
Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi: Profile
Born on May 28, 1968, Justice Pancholi began his legal career in September 1991 after enrolling with the Bar. He practised extensively before the Gujarat High Court and was appointed as an Additional Judge of the court on October 1, 2014. He was confirmed as a permanent judge on June 10, 2016.
He went on to serve as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. With his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Pancholi is in line to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in October 2031, following the retirement of Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
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