Centre Approves Appointment Of Five New High Court Chief Justices

The Centre on Monday approved the appointment of new Chief Justices for five High Courts, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gauhati, Patna, and Jharkhand, based on recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium earlier this year.

Centre Appoints Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced via X that the President appointed Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justice Sachdeva had been serving as the Acting Chief Justice following the retirement of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait on May 23.

The President appointed Justice Vibhu Bakhru of the Delhi High Court as the new Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. His appointment marks another key judicial leadership change at the state level.

The Centre also cleared the appointment of Justice Ashutosh Kumar of the Patna High Court as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, as per the Law Ministry’s official notification.

The President appointed Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, replacing Justice Ashutosh Kumar, who now heads the Gauhati High Court.

Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan Appointed Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court

Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, currently serving in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, will now lead the Jharkhand High Court. His appointment follows the transfer of Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao.

In separate notifications, the Centre also announced several other judicial transfers:

• Justice MS Ramachandra Rao has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court.
• Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, leading the Tripura High Court, transferred to the Telangana High Court.
• Chief Justice KR Shriram of the Madras High Court will now serve as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
• Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava from the Rajasthan High Court will take over as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, had sent its recommendations for these appointments and transfers to the Centre in May 2025.

The government has now formalised these changes, ensuring leadership continuity across multiple High Courts.

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