New Delhi/Prayagraj: The Central government has officially approved the appointment of 24 new judges to the Allahabad High Court, significantly strengthening the judiciary in one of India’s largest and busiest high courts. This move comes following the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation earlier this month.
Supreme Court Collegium’s Recommendations
On September 1, 2025, the Supreme Court Collegium forwarded the names of 26 candidates for judgeship at the Allahabad High Court, comprising 12 lawyers and 14 judicial officers. Out of these, the government has cleared 24 names, excluding two advocates whose appointments remain pending.
Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, announced the approvals via Twitter, noting that 24 of the 26 recommended candidates have been cleared to assume judgeships at the High Court.
Read also: Centre Appoints Amitabh Kumar Rai and Rajiv Lochan Shukla as Judges of Allahabad High Court
List of Lawyers Cleared for Judgeship
The ten lawyers recommended for elevation include:
- Vivek Saran
- Vivek Kumar Singh
- Garima Prashad
- Sudhanshu Chauhan
- Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary
- Swarupama Chaturvedi
- Siddharth Nandan
- Kunal Ravi Singh
- Indrajeet Shukla
- Satya Veer Singh
Advocates Adnan Ahmad and Jai Krishna Upadhyay’s names have not been cleared by the Centre.
Among the women appointed, Senior Advocates Garima Prashad and Swarupama Chaturvedi stand out for their distinguished practice at the Supreme Court.
Judicial Officers Elevated to the High Court
The 14 judicial officers whose appointments have been approved are:
- Dr. 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
- Babita Rani
Impact on Allahabad High Court’s Strength
The Allahabad High Court currently has 83 judges serving against a sanctioned strength of 160. With the addition of these 24 new judges, the working strength will increase to 107, a move expected to ease the burden of pending cases and accelerate judicial processes in the region.
This bolstering of judicial manpower is crucial, given the high volume of cases that the Allahabad High Court deals with annually.
Significance of the Appointment
The appointment of these judges reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to address the judicial vacancies that plague many high courts across India. Strengthening the judiciary is vital to ensuring timely justice delivery and upholding the rule of law.
Furthermore, the inclusion of four women judges among the appointees marks progress toward gender diversity on the bench.