Delhi HC strengthens bench with appointment of three new judges

New Delhi: Three newly appointed judges--Shail Jain, Madhu Jain, and Vinod Kumar were formally sworn in at the Delhi High Court on Thursday, raising the court's working strength to 43 judges, against a sanctioned total of 60.The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya following the central government's clearance of their appointments.The swearing-in ceremony was attended by sitting judges of the Delhi High Court, family members of the appointees, senior members of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, and other distinguished legal professionals.The appointments were officially notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Tuesday. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the selections via his account on X (formerly Twitter), stating that they were made under the authority of the Constitution of India, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.These appointments are expected to ease the pressure on Delhi's judicial system, which has long been hampered by a shortage of judges and a growing backlog of cases.The Supreme Court Collegium approved the appointments of Shail Jain and Madhu Jain during its meeting on July 1, 2025. Vinod Kumar's elevation was subsequently cleared in the Collegium's July 2 meeting, following a thorough evaluation of each officer's judicial track record and tenure.In a related development, Chief Justice Upadhyaya earlier administered oaths of office to six newly transferred judges in a formal ceremony held at the High Court. Justices V. Kameswar Rao, Nitin Wasudeo Sambre, Vivek Chaudhary, Anil Kshetarpal, Arun Kumar Monga, and Om Prakash Shukla were transferred from various High Courts across the country, based on recommendations from the Supreme Court Collegium's May 26 meeting.Together, the new appointments and transfers are expected to enhance efficiency in judicial proceedings and improve case disposal rates, providing long-awaited relief to litigants who have faced delayed justice.