The Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) notified the appointment of Chief Justice (CJ) to seven High Courts (HC): Meghalaya, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Gauhati (Assam), Orissa (Odisha), Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Punjab & Haryana (Chandigarh).
New Appointment:
| High Court | New CJ/Acting CJ (ACJ) | Previous CJ/ACJ |
|---|---|---|
| Meghalaya | Justice S. Vaidyanathan | Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew |
| Allahabad | Justice Arun Bhansali | Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta |
| Gauhati | Justice Vijay Bishno | Justice Lanusungkum Jamir |
| Orissa | Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh | Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi |
| Uttarakhand | Justice Ritu Bahri | Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari |
| Rajasthan | Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava | Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava |
| Punjab & Haryana | Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (ACJ) | Justice Ritu Bahri |
Details of the appointments:
Meghalaya:
Justice S. Vaidyanathan, Judge of the Madras HC(Tamil Nadu), was appointed as the CJ of Meghalaya HC.
- He succeeds Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, ACJ of Meghalaya HC.
- The post has been vacant since the retirement of Justice Sanjib Banerjee on 1st November 2023.
- The appointment was made in pursuant to a recommendation made by the Supreme Court collegium which includes Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul (Retired) and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
Allahabad:
Justice Arun Bhansali, Judge of the Rajasthan HC, was appointed as the CJ of the Allahabad HC(Uttar Pradesh).
- He succeeds Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta, ACJ of Allahabad HC.
- The post has been vacant since the retirement of Justice Pritinker Diwaker on 21st November 2023.
Gauhati:
Justice Vijay Bishnoi, a senior puisne Judge of the Rajasthan HC, was appointed as the CJ of the Gauhati HC(Assam).
- Justice Lanusungkum Jamir, ACJ of Gauhati HC(Assam).
- The post has been vacant since Justice Sandeep Mehta was elevated to the as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Orissa:
Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, Judge of the Patna High Court, was appointed as the CJ of the Orissa HC(Odisha).
- He succeeds Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, ACJ of Orissa HC.
- The post has been vacant since the retirement of Justice Subhasis Talapatra on 3rd October 2023.
Uttarakhand:
Justice Ritu Bahri, ACJ of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was appointed as the CJ of the Uttarakhand HC.
- She succeeds Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari, ACJ of Uttarakhand HC.
- The post has been vacant since the retirement of Justice Vipin Sanghi on 26th October 2023.
- Rity Bahri becomes the first Women CJ of Uttarakhand HC.
Rajasthan:
Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, presently serving as the ACJ of the Rajasthan HC, was appointed as the CJ of the Rajasthan HC.
- He has been serving as ACJ of Rajasthan HC since November 2023 succeeding Justice Augustine George Masih.
Note: The above 6 appointments were made by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in the exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India.
Punjab and Haryana HC:
In exercise of the power conferred by Article 233 of the Constitution of India President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Gurmeet Singh(GS) Sandhawalia, as the ACJ of Punjab and Haryana HC.
- Prior to the appointment, Justice GS Sandhawalia was serving as the Judge of Punjab and Haryana HC.
- He succeeds Justice Ritu Bahri, the ACJ of Punjab and Haryana HC, who was elevated as the CJ of Uttarakhand HC.
Additional info:
i.Article 217 states that every Judge of an HC shall be appointed by the President of India after consultation with the Chief Justice of India the governor of the state.
ii.Article 233 deals with the appointment of district judges and the posting and promotion of district judges.
About Ministry of Law and Justice(MoL&J):
Minister of State(MoS) Independent charge – Arjun Ram Meghwal (Constituency- Bikaner, Rajasthan)
