Justices Alok Aradhe, Vipul Pancholi sworn in as SC judges; apex court now at full strength of 34

The Supreme Court Collegium, presided by CJI Gavai, had proposed their names for elevation on August 25, and the Centre cleared their appointments on Wednesday.

Born in Raipur, Justice Alok Aradhe enrolled as an advocate on July 12, 1988. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on December 29, 2009, and became a Permanent Judge on February 15, 2011.

He was transferred to the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in September 2016, and was appointed as its Acting Chief Justice on May 11, 2018. Following this stint, Justice Aradhe was transferred to the Karnataka High Court in November 2018 and assumed charge as the Acting Chief Justice on July 3, 2022.

He was appointed as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court in July 2023, before being transferred as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court and assuming charge on January 21 this year.

Justice Vipul M Pancholi enrolled as a lawyer in September 1991, and started practising as an advocate in the High Court of Gujarat. He was appointed as an Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor, and served for seven years till March 2006.

He was subsequently elevated as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court on October 1, 2014, and was later confirmed as a Permanent Judge on June 10, 2016.

Justice Pancholi was transferred to the Patna High Court in July 2023, and became the Chief Justice of the high court on July 21, 2025.