Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari sworn in as 55th Chief Justice of Madras High Court

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, on Friday (March 6, 2026), administered the oath of office to Madras High Court Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai and handed over the warrant of appointment issued by President Droupadi Murmu. Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari is the 55^th Chief Justice of Madras High Court.

Puisne judges, Minister for Courts S. Regupathy, Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, Advocate General P.S. Raman, State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinnah, Director General of Police (in-charge) K. Venkataraman and Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police A. Arun attended the ceremony among others.

The event began with the singing of the national song Vande Mataram followed by the national anthem and then the Tamil Thai Vazhthu. The Chief Secretary read out the warrant of appointment before the Governor handed it over to the Chief Justice and administered the oath.

Who is Justice Dharmadhikari?

Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Justice Dharmadhikari was born on July 8, 1966, in Raipur and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in commerce and law from Nagpur University. He began his practice as an advocate in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur in 1992 and was a standing counsel for the Centre for about 15 years, from 2000 to 2015.

He had represented the Income Tax Department, Reserve Bank of India, and several other institutions. He was elevated as an additional judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on April 7, 2016, and made a permanent judge of the High Court on March 17, 2018. He was transferred to the Kerala High Court, where he assumed office on April 23, 2025. He is now the fifth judge in seniority at the Kerala High Court.

The Advocate General, the chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the office-bearers of various bar associations would be formally welcoming the Chief Justice to the court in a separate event to be held on the High Court premises on Friday evening.