On Tuesday, 14 April 2026, the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant approved the appointment of 10 judges across four High Courts, of whom seven are women — making it one of the most gender-balanced batches in the recent history of judicial appointments in India. The Collegium recommended Smt Preeta Aravindan Krishnamma and Smt Liz Mathew Anthraper as Judges of the Kerala High Court; both are women advocates being elevated directly from the Bar. For the Karnataka High Court, the Collegium cleared three names: Smt Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde, Smt Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi and Shri Mahadevappa Brungesh. For the Telangana High Court, four names were recommended: Justice Yara Renuka, Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao, Justice E Tirumala Devi and Justice B R Madhusudhan Rao. For the Bombay High Court, Smt Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande, currently an Additional Judge, was recommended for elevation as a Permanent Judge. Once notified by the President, the appointments will help shrink the working-strength deficit at the four High Courts and strengthen gender representation on the Bench, advancing a long-standing concern flagged by the law commission and successive Chief Justices. The Collegium operates under the procedure crystallised by the Second and Third Judges Cases (1993, 1998); recommendations made by it under Article 217 of the Constitution become binding once a name is reiterated unanimously after a government reference back. The CJI Surya Kant-led Collegium has accelerated High Court appointments since taking office, with this batch being the largest single-day clearance under his tenure so far.
Supreme Court Collegium led by CJI Surya Kant Recommends 10 Judges Across Four High Courts on 14 April 2026; Seven of the Ten Are Women, Marking a Historic 70% Female Representation Cycle
On 14 April 2026 the SC Collegium led by CJI Surya Kant cleared 10 High Court judge appointments — 7 women, 3 men — for the Kerala (2), Karnataka (3), Telangana (4) and Bombay (1) High Courts. The 70% female cohort marks the most gender-balanced single-day batch in recent years and proceeds under Article 217 read with the Second and Third Judges Cases.
Key facts
- On 14 April 2026 the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant approved appointment of 10 judges across four High Courts; seven of the ten are women, marking a 70% female representation cycle.
- For the Kerala High Court, the Collegium recommended Smt Preeta Aravindan Krishnamma and Smt Liz Mathew Anthraper, both women advocates being elevated directly from the Bar.
- For the Karnataka High Court three names were cleared — Smt Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde, Smt Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi and Shri Mahadevappa Brungesh.
- For the Telangana High Court four names were recommended — Justice Yara Renuka, Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao, Justice E Tirumala Devi and Justice B R Madhusudhan Rao.
- For the Bombay High Court, Smt Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande was recommended for elevation from Additional to Permanent Judge.
- Appointments to High Courts proceed under Article 217 of the Constitution; the Collegium procedure was crystallised by the Second Judges Case (1993) and Third Judges Case (1998), with reiterated unanimous recommendations binding on the executive.
- Once notified by the President, the appointments will help reduce the working-strength deficit at four High Courts and strengthen gender representation on the Bench, advancing a concern flagged by successive Chief Justices.
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With reference to the Supreme Court Collegium recommendations of 14 April 2026, consider the following two statements: Statement 1: The Collegium recommended 10 judges across four High Courts in a single sitting, of whom seven were women. Statement 2: Of the four High Courts that received recommendations, the Telangana High Court received the highest number — four names. Which of the following is correct?
Both statements are correct. On 14 April 2026 the Collegium cleared 10 names — 7 women, 3 men. The distribution was: Kerala HC – 2, Karnataka HC – 3, Telangana HC – 4 and Bombay HC – 1, so the Telangana High Court received the largest single tranche of recommendations in this batch.
Source: SCC Online
Frequently asked questions
Under which constitutional provision are High Court judges appointed?
High Court judges in India are appointed under Article 217 of the Constitution. The President appoints them after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and (in the case of judges other than the Chief Justice) the Chief Justice of the High Court. The Collegium procedure refines this consultation into the binding recommendation system used today.
What is the Collegium system and where does its authority come from?
The Collegium is the body of senior-most Supreme Court judges (CJI plus four senior-most judges for SC appointments; CJI plus two for High Court appointments) that recommends judicial appointments to the executive. Its authority is derived from the Supreme Court's judgments in the First (1981), Second (1993) and Third Judges (1998) Cases, which interpreted 'consultation' in Article 124 and Article 217 as concurrence and gave the judiciary primacy.
Why is the 14 April 2026 batch considered historically significant?
Of the 10 names cleared in a single sitting, seven were women — a 70% female representation rate that is one of the highest in any single Collegium batch in recent years. Both the Kerala recommendations were women elevated directly from the Bar, addressing a long-standing concern that women advocates are under-represented at this level of elevation.
Which four High Courts received recommendations on 14 April 2026?
The Kerala High Court (2 names), the Karnataka High Court (3 names), the Telangana High Court (4 names) and the Bombay High Court (1 name — elevation from Additional to Permanent Judge of Smt Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande).
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