All 25 High Courts Get Regular Chief Justices As Centre Notifies 8 New Appointments

New Delhi, Sept 8 (KNN) All 25 High Courts across India now have regular Chief Justices after the Centre notified the appointment of eight judges, filling the remaining vacancies in the higher judiciary.

The appointments were made based on seven recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium dated August 6 and August 31, while the appointment for the Chhattisgarh High Court was recommended separately following the retirement of its Chief Justice on September 4.

Eight Judges Appointed As High Court Chief Justices

The appointments include Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao of the Delhi High Court as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and Justice Ravindra V Ghuge of the Bombay High Court as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, reported Indian Express.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, while Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court will head the Bombay High Court.

Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra has been confirmed as the regular Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justices Krushna Ram Mohapatra, Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje and Pushpendra Singh Bhati have been appointed Chief Justices of the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts, respectively.

Collegium To Turn Focus To Supreme Court Vacancies

With all High Court Chief Justice positions now filled, the Supreme Court Collegium is expected to turn its attention to vacancies in the Supreme Court.

The apex court currently has 34 judges, four short of its sanctioned strength following the increase approved through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.

A fifth vacancy is expected to arise when Justice Satish Chandra Sharma retires on November 29. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is scheduled to retire on February 9, 2027, leaving limited time for the CJI-led Collegium to make further recommendations.

Gender Representation, CJI Succession May Influence Choices

Gender representation is expected to be among the factors considered by the Collegium. The three women currently serving as High Court Chief Justices are Justices Sunita Agarwal, Lisa Gill and Revati Mohite Dere, heading the Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya High Courts, respectively.

The Supreme Court currently has two women judges, Justice B V Nagarathna, who is also a member of the five-member Collegium, and Justice V Mohana, who was appointed in June.

The Collegium is also likely to consider whether prospective appointments can contribute to the future line of succession to the office of the Chief Justice of India.

Under the prevailing seniority convention, the succession line currently extends through Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagarathna, P S Narasimha, J B Pardiwala, K V Viswanathan, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, potentially taking the office through May 2033.

Three Newly Appointed HC Chief Justices In Potential Succession Line

Judges elevated to the Supreme Court at this stage would enter at the bottom of the existing seniority list. To have a realistic possibility of becoming CJI, they would therefore need to remain in service beyond May 2033.

Among the sitting High Court Chief Justices, only Justices Pushpendra Singh Bhati, Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje and Ashwani Kumar Mishra meet this potential longevity threshold, having been appointed to their current positions last week.

(KNN Bureau)