Centre Appoints Chief Justices to Eight High Courts

Key appointments have been made in the country’s judiciary. The Central Government has issued orders appointing new Chief Justices (CJs) to eight High Courts, based on recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments on the social media platform ‘X’. It is noteworthy that the Centre completed the appointment process swiftly, just a few days after the Collegium made its recommendations.

As part of the appointments, Justice Valluri Kameswara Rao, currently a judge of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge of the Bombay High Court will head the Calcutta High Court. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court will take charge as the new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.

The appointment to the Rajasthan High Court assumes particular significance. A major controversy had erupted after Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta made serious and unusual allegations against Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, who was serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Following these developments, Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal has now been appointed as the full-time Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

Among the other appointments, Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the same court. Justice Krishna Ram Mahapatra of the Odisha High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court, while Gujarat High Court judge Justice Alpesh Yashwant Kogje has been appointed Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. These appointments are expected to strengthen judicial administration and leadership across several High Courts.