Supreme Court collegium recommends 26 judges for Allahabad High Court
In a significant move to address judicial vacancies, the collegium proposes 12 advocates and 14 judicial officers for elevation to one of India’s largest high courts.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna, has recommended the appointment of 26 new judges to the Allahabad High Court, aiming to bolster its judicial strength and address the substantial backlog of cases. The recommendations, made on September 1, 2025, comprise 12 advocates from the Bar and 14 judicial officers from the subordinate judiciary, marking a significant step to fill vacancies in one of the country’s largest high courts, which currently operates with 79 judges against a sanctioned strength of 160.
The collegium’s statement, released on September 2, 2025, lists the following advocates for elevation as judges: Vivek Saran, Adnan Ahmad, Vivek Kumar Singh, Garima Prashad, Sudhanshu Chauhan, Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary, Swarupama Chaturvedi, Jai Krishna Upadhyay, Siddharth Nandan, Kunal Ravi Singh, Indrajeet Shukla, and Satya Veer Singh. The recommended judicial officers include Ajay Kumar-II, Chawan Prakash, Divesh Chandra Samant, Prashant Mishra-I, Tarun Saxena, Rajeev Bharti, Padam Narain Mishra, Lakshmi Kant Shukla, Jai Prakash Tiwari, Devendra Singh-I, Sanjiv Kumar, Vani Ranjan Agrawal, Achal Sachdev, and Babita Rani.
This move comes as the Allahabad High Court grapples with a high volume of pending cases, necessitating urgent reinforcement of its bench. The collegium, comprising senior Supreme Court judges, evaluated the candidates’ service records, legal acumen, and suitability before finalizing the recommendations. The proposals, split into two—one for advocates and one for judicial officers—were approved after consultations with judges familiar with the Allahabad High Court’s functioning, adhering to the Memorandum of Procedure.
The recommendations will now be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice for processing. Following the ministry’s review and clearance, the names will be sent to the President of India for final appointment. The process, however, has faced criticism for delays, with former Supreme Court judge Justice A.S. Oka recently noting that the government often takes nine to ten months to clear collegium recommendations without providing reasons.
The Allahabad High Court, one of India’s oldest and largest, has been under strain due to its vacancy crisis, with 81 unfilled posts as of July 1, 2025. The collegium’s latest action follows earlier recommendations this year, including eight judicial officers in April 2025 and nine additional judges for permanent appointment in August 2024, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen the judiciary. With nearly 20 lakh pending cases in high courts nationwide, including a significant portion in Allahabad, these appointments are expected to enhance judicial efficiency and access to justice.
