Coimbatore Advocate V Mohana Elevated To Supreme Court, First Woman Judge In SC in 5 Years

Senior advocate V Mohana along with four new judges have been elevated to the Supreme Court after the Union Law Ministry cleared the names on Tuesday.

It ended a nearly two-year period where Justice B.V. Nagarathna served as the sole woman on the apex court bench.

The appointments follow a May 27 recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The Central Government swiftly cleared the names on May 31, bringing the current strength of the Supreme Court to 37 judges against a sanctioned limit of 38.

Alongside Justice Mohana, four High Court Chief Justices took the oath of office:

• Justice Sheel Nagu
• Justice Shree Chandrashekhar
• Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva
• Justice Arun Palli

Breaking Barriers: A Rare Direct Elevation

Justice Mohana's appointment marks a historic milestone in Indian judicial history. She is only the 11th judge in history and the second woman ever after former Justice Indu Malhotra to be elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court bench.

While Article 124(3)(c) of the Constitution permits the direct appointment of advocates with at least 10 years of High Court experience, it remains an exceptionally rare trajectory. Out of the 284 judges who have served on the apex court since 1950, a mere 3.5% have come directly from the Bar.

Judges Directly Elevated from the Bar (1950-Present):

Justices S.M. Sikri, S.C. Roy, Kuldip Singh, Santosh Hegde, Rohinton Nariman, U.U. Lalit, L. Nageswara Rao, Indu Malhotra, P.S. Narasimha, K.V. Viswanathan, and now, V. Mohana.

About Justice V. Mohana

A first-generation lawyer, Justice Mohana began her legal career in 1988 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She relocated to Delhi in 1992, joining the chambers of Indu Malhotra (who would later become the first woman directly elevated to the SC), Bar and Bench reported.

She also worked under Senior Advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan before clearing the rigorous Advocates-on-Record exam in 1996. Recognizing her extensive expertise and contributions to the legal field, she was designated as a Senior Advocate in 2015.