Eight High Court judges appointed as Chief Justices

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday (September 5, 2026) appointed eight judges of various High Courts as Chief Justices of different High Courts.

Law and justice Minister Arjunram Meghwal, who took to social media platform X, making an announcement regarding the appointments, said the same were done by the President in exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India and in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

According to the appointments notified on Saturday, Justice Sanjay Kumar Agarwal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. His appointment comes amid a recent controversy involving Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. The controversy became public after Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta wrote to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, raising concerns about Justice Sharma’s conduct.

The allegations triggered protests by lawyers in Rajasthan. Justice Sharma has denied the charges, calling them baseless and stating that he has submitted his response to the CJI.

Also, Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao of the Delhi High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, while Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge of the Bombay High Court will head the Calcutta 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, while Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court will head the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court will take over as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.

Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati of the Rajasthan High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.