Centre Notifies Appointments of Chief Justices at Eight High Courts
The Central Government on September 5, 2026, notified the appointment of Chief Justices for eight High Courts, giving effect to a fresh round of recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium. The appointments were announced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal after approval by President Droupadi Murmu.
The appointments cover the Patna, Calcutta, Rajasthan, Bombay, Punjab and Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts. The move represents a substantial reshuffle of leadership across the higher judiciary.
Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao, presently of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge of the Bombay High Court will head the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the same court. Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra of the Orissa High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
For Madhya Pradesh, the Centre has appointed Gujarat High Court judge Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje as Chief Justice. Meanwhile, Rajasthan High Court judge Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati has been appointed Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
The appointments follow recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium on August 9 and August 31, 2026. The Supreme Court’s own Collegium records confirm the August 31 recommendations concerning the transfer and elevation of Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal and appointments involving several of the affected High Courts.
The Rajasthan appointment is particularly significant because it comes against the backdrop of a controversy surrounding Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta had raised concerns regarding Justice Sharma’s administrative functioning and sought the appointment of a regular Chief Justice from outside Rajasthan. Justice Sharma has denied the allegations.
The controversy had also led to protests by lawyers at the Jaipur and Jodhpur benches. Justice Agrawal’s appointment therefore brings an end to the uncertainty over who will take charge as the regular Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
Justice Agrawal’s appointment is also part of a broader judicial realignment. Before his move to Rajasthan, he had been serving in the Chhattisgarh High Court and was recently made its Acting Chief Justice following the retirement of Justice Ramesh Sinha. He had originally been elevated to the Chhattisgarh High Court as an additional judge in September 2013 and became a permanent judge in March 2016.
The latest appointments are important not merely as routine transfers and elevations but because the Chief Justice plays a central administrative role in a High Court, including constitution of benches, allocation of judicial work and overall institutional administration. The simultaneous appointments are expected to provide greater continuity and regular leadership in several High Courts.
The eight appointments are therefore:
Patna HC: Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao
Calcutta HC: Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge
Rajasthan HC: Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal
Bombay HC: Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi
Punjab & Haryana HC: Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra
Chhattisgarh HC: Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra
Madhya Pradesh HC: Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje
J&K and Ladakh HC: Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati.
With the President’s approval and the Centre’s notification now issued, the process moves from Collegium recommendation to formal appointment, marking one of the more significant rounds of High Court leadership changes in recent months.
