On 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 HC | Justice Ramesh Deokinandan Dhanuka | Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala (ACJ of Bombay HC) |
| Madras HC | Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala | Justice S Vaidyanathan (ACJ of Madras HC) |
| Himachal Pradesh HC | Justice Mamidanna Satya Ratna Sri Ramachandra Rao | Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan(ACJ of Himachal Pradesh HC) |
| Kerala HC | Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti | Justice S. Manikumar |
| Rajasthan HC | Justice Augustine George Masih | Manindra 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.
