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GoI Appoints Chief Justices of 5 High Courts

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Govt appoints chief justicesOn 27th May 2023, the Government of India (GoI) appointed chief justices to five High Courts: Bombay, Madras, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Rajasthan. These appointments were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on 19th April 2023.

Note: 

The appointments were made by the President of India, in exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India.

Details of the Appointment: 

High Court(HC)New CJ Previous CJ/Acting CJ 
Bombay HCJustice Ramesh Deokinandan DhanukaJustice Sanjay V Gangapurwala (ACJ of Bombay HC)
Madras HCJustice Sanjay Vijaykumar GangapurwalaJustice S Vaidyanathan (ACJ of Madras HC)
Himachal Pradesh HCJustice Mamidanna Satya Ratna Sri Ramachandra RaoJustice Tarlok Singh Chauhan(ACJ of Himachal Pradesh HC)
Kerala HCJustice Sarasa Venkatanarayana BhattiJustice S. Manikumar
Rajasthan HCJustice Augustine George MasihManindra Mohan Shrivastava (Acting CJ of Rajasthan HC)

Key Points: 
Bombay HC: 
On 27th May 2023, Justice Ramesh D Dhanuka took oath as the Chief Justice(CJ) of Bombay HC succeeding Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala, Acting Chief Justice(ACJ) of Bombay HC.

  • Justice Ramesh D Dhanuka, who is set to retire on 30th May 2023, will have the shortest tenure as CJ of the Bombay HC.
  • Justice Dhanuka is the 2nd senior-most judge at the Bombay HC after Justice Gangapurwala.

Madras HC: 
Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala is appointed as the CJ of Madras HC succeeding Justice S Vaidyanathan, who was appointed as the ACJ of Madras HC on 25th May 2023.

  • The position of CJ of Madras HC has been vacant since the superannuation of Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari in September 2022.

Himachal Pradesh HC: 
Justice M S Ramachandra Rao, a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana HC has been appointed as the CJ of the Himachal Pradesh HC.

  • He succeeds Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan who has been serving as the ACJ of Himachal Pradesh since April 2023.

Kerala HC: 
Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti (SV Bhatti), the senior-most puisne Judge acting CJ of the Kerala HC, has been appointed as the CJ of Kerala HC. 

  • Justice SV Bhatti has been serving as the ACJ of Kerala HC following the retirement of CJ S Mani Kumar.

Rajasthan HC: 
Justice Augustine George Masih, senior most puisne judge of Punjab and Haryana HC, has been appointed as the CJ of the Rajasthan HC. 

  • The post has been vacant since the elevation of earlier CJ Justice Pankaj Mithal from the Rajasthan HC to the Supreme Court of India.

Note: 

The retirement age of a High Court & Supreme Court Judge is 62 years and 65 years respectively.