Justice V S Mohana has been appointed to the Supreme Court of India via a rare direct promotion from the Bar to the bench.
This appointment is significant because it bypasses the traditional route of serving as a High Court judge first. By elevating a senior advocate directly to the apex court, the judiciary is diversifying its composition and increasing female representation in India's highest legal body.
Justice Mohana is the second woman advocate to be appointed directly from the Bar to the apex court [1]. Her elevation comes as part of a broader effort to enhance the presence of women on the bench [2].
The appointment follows a proposal from the Supreme Court Collegium, which said it advocated for the elevation of one senior advocate and four High Court chief justices [3]. This move is linked to recent amendments that expanded the capacity of the court to handle its caseload.
With the addition of Justice Mohana and four other judges, the total strength of the Supreme Court has increased to 37 judges [2]. This expansion is intended to streamline judicial processes and reduce the backlog of cases in New Delhi.
The number of women judges serving on the Supreme Court has now increased to two [2]. Direct elevations from the Bar are uncommon in the Indian legal system, as most judges are promoted through a hierarchy of lower courts.
Justice Mohana's transition from a senior advocate to a member of the judiciary marks a shift in how the court identifies and promotes legal talent. The move emphasizes professional expertise from the Bar as a viable pathway to the highest level of judicial service [1].
“Justice Mohana is the second woman advocate to be appointed directly from the Bar to the apex court.”
The direct elevation of Justice V S Mohana signals a strategic shift by the Indian judiciary to broaden its recruitment pool beyond the traditional High Court pipeline. By increasing the total strength to 37 and intentionally appointing women from the Bar, the court is attempting to address both a systemic capacity crisis and a historical gender imbalance at the highest level of legal authority.
