Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has constituted a Judicial Well-Being Committee, a standing panel to address occupational stress and other challenges affecting the mental and physical health of judicial officers.
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New Delhi: On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant constituted a standing Judicial Well-Being Committee of the Supreme Court of India to examine existing and emerging challenges concerning the well-being of judicial officers, particularly in the district judiciary [Constitution of the Judicial Well-Being Committee].
The committee is chaired by Supreme Court judge Justice K.V. Viswanathan. The other four members are Dr. Savita Malhotra, Rajat Mitra, Mrinal Kanwar and Aarti Singh.
Who is on the committee
- Justice K.V. Viswanathan, Judge, Supreme Court of India (Chair)
- Dr. Savita Malhotra, former Dean, PGIMER Chandigarh, and Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry
- Rajat Mitra, Psychologist, Director and Co-founder, Swanchetan Society for Mental Health
- Mrinal Kanwar, Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of India
- Aarti Singh, Registrar (Judicial), Centre for Research and Planning, Supreme Court of India
The mandate
The Supreme Court has described the committee as a continuing institutional platform on judicial well-being. Its stated responsibilities are to identify areas that need institutional intervention, facilitate coordination on welfare measures, develop appropriate guidance, and periodically review initiatives that support judicial officers. In its announcement, the Court said the aim is to “move beyond isolated interventions” and build a sustained framework for judicial well-being.
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The background
The committee follows research by the Supreme Court’s Centre for Research and Planning on the district judiciary, which examined occupational stress, workload, exhaustion, staffing shortages, infrastructure gaps, administrative duties, transfers, work-life balance and institutional support. The initiative also draws on the Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-being, adopted on July 25, 2024, and the United Nations General Assembly’s proclamation of July 25 as the International Day for Judicial Well-being.
Why the step matters
Unlike a one-off programme, the committee is designed as a standing mechanism, with a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a member of the Bar and a research registrar sitting alongside a sitting Supreme Court judge. The announcement does not state a reporting timeline or specific measures, which will depend on the committee’s work.
Subject: Constitution of the Judicial Well-Being Committee (Standing Committee on Judicial Well-being)
Constituted by: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Supreme Court of India
Chair: Justice K.V. Viswanathan
Date: October 10, 2026 (World Mental Health Day)
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