The number of women judges in the Supreme Court is likely to go up to three in the coming days with the top court collegium recommending Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal for elevation.
People aware of the procedure to appoint Supreme Court and high court judges said her name, along with those of Justices Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, and Aparesh Kumar Singh, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, is likely to be cleared in the next few days for elevation to the top court.At present, the Supreme Court has two women judges-- Justice B V Nagarathna, who has been a judge in the top court since August 31, 2021, and Justice Venkita Subramani Mohana who was elevated to the apex court on June 2 this year.
Once Justice Agarwal is elevated to the top court, she and Justice Nagarathna will have background of having served in high courts.
Justice Mohana was elevated directly from the Bar. She had been a senior advocate of the Supreme Court.
Justice Nagarathna will also become the Chief Justice of India for more than a month in 2027.
Justice Agarwal enrolled as an advocate in December 1990. After a practice of 21 years, she was elevated as Additional Judge of Allahabad High Court in November 2011 and, thereafter, took oath as a Permanent Judge in August 2013.
Justice Agarwal is a trained and certified mediator and was part of the very first batch of Allahabad High Court that was trained in Mediation and Conciliation.