The Delhi High Court has taken a significant step towards enhancing its judicial capacity by welcoming seven new judges on Monday. This development increases the court’s operational strength to 50 judges, moving closer to its sanctioned capacity of 60 judges.
This marks a noteworthy moment for the Delhi High Court, as it reaches 50 sitting judges for the first time since the sanctioned strength was elevated to 60 in 2014. Previously, in 2022, the court’s working strength had reached 47 judges. With the current strength at 83% of its full capacity, the court is better positioned to manage the growing volume of commercial cases, thus potentially improving its case disposal rate.
Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya presided over the swearing-in ceremony, administering the oath of office to Justices Nivedita Anil Sharma, Nisha Sahay Saxena, Sanjay Sharma, Bharat Parashar, Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt, and Arun Bhardwaj. Notably, this expansion includes 13 women judges, highlighting strides towards gender representation in the judiciary.
The current number of judges is expected to remain stable until next month, provided no additional appointments are made. However, four judges are scheduled to retire this year, which could impact the court’s strength. Justice C.S. Sudha is set to retire on October 8, followed by Justice Anil Kshetarpal on November 18. Justices Manoj Jain and Girish Kathpalia will retire in the last week of 2026.
The Delhi High Court is authorized to have a total of 45 permanent judges and 15 additional judges, ensuring a robust judicial framework to address the legal needs of the region.
