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The Union government notified the appointment of Chief Justices to eight High Courts on 5 September 2026.
President Droupadi Murmu approved the appointments after consultation with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and the Supreme Court Collegium.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court becomes Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, which had gone nearly a year without a regular Chief Justice.
Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra was made full-time Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after a period of administrative delay.
High Court judges and Chief Justices are appointed under Article 217 of the Constitution; the Ministry of Law and Justice issues the formal notification.
| Judge | Earlier High Court | Appointed Chief Justice of |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao | Delhi High Court | Patna High Court |
| Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge | Bombay High Court | Calcutta High Court |
| Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal | Chhattisgarh High Court | Rajasthan High Court |
| Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi | Allahabad High Court | Bombay High Court |
| Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra | Punjab and Haryana High Court | Punjab and Haryana High Court |
| Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra | Orissa High Court | Chhattisgarh High Court |
| Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje | Gujarat High Court | Madhya Pradesh High Court |
| Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati | Rajasthan High Court | Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court |
Governs the appointment, tenure and conditions of service of High Court judges. The President appoints them after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the State, and, for a judge other than the Chief Justice, also the Chief Justice of that High Court.
Provides that there shall be a High Court for each State — the basis on which every High Court, and therefore every Chief Justice's office, exists.
Empowers the President, after consulting the Chief Justice of India, to transfer a judge from one High Court to another — the route by which most of these judges move to head a different High Court.
The colonial statute under which India's first High Courts, at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, were established in 1862.
Recommends appointments and transfers in the higher judiciary. For High Court appointments it comprises the Chief Justice of India and the two seniormost Supreme Court judges; for Supreme Court appointments, the CJI and the four seniormost judges.
Processes collegium recommendations and issues the formal notification of appointment once the President approves.
GS Paper II > Polity > Structure, organisation and functioning of the Judiciary
General Awareness > Indian Polity and current appointments
General Awareness > National current affairs
Who appoints the Judges of the High Court?
Answer: The President
Who appoints the Judges of the High Court?
Answer: President of India
With reference to the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: 1. No High Court shall have the jurisdiction to declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid. 2. An amendment to the Constitution of India cannot be called into question by the Supreme Court of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
The judge-led mechanism, evolved through the Judges Cases, by which the CJI and the seniormost Supreme Court judges recommend appointments and transfers in the higher judiciary.
Constitutional provision for the appointment, tenure and conditions of office of High Court judges, including the consultation requirement.
Provides for the transfer of a High Court judge to another High Court by the President after consulting the Chief Justice of India.
A senior puisne judge who discharges the Chief Justice's duties when the office is vacant — the arrangement the Rajasthan High Court had been running under.