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President appoints new Chief Justices for eight High Courts

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First brief 6 Sep, 1:51 am IST Updated 6 Sep, 1:51 am IST 1 development 3 min read Latest ↓

The Bombay High Court building in Mumbai, one of the eight High Courts that received a new Chief Justice — Photo: Pinakpani / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Where it stands

The eight appointments are notified. Oath-taking comes next. On 5 September 2026 Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments. The President appointed the eight judges after consulting the Chief Justice of India. Patna gets Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao. Calcutta gets Justice Ravindra V Ghuge. Bombay gets Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi. Rajasthan gets Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal. Punjab and Haryana gets Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, already its Acting Chief Justice. Chhattisgarh gets Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra. Madhya Pradesh gets Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh gets Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended all eight names in August 2026. Seven judges move to a new High Court.

Background

Article 217 of the Constitution covers the appointment of High Court judges. Article 217 also covers the Chief Justice of a High Court. The President appoints each judge after consulting the Chief Justice of India and the Governor. Since the Second Judges case of 1993, the Supreme Court Collegium recommends the names. The government then follows the steps in the Memorandum of Procedure. By practice, a judge does not become Chief Justice of the judge's own parent High Court. Article 222 lets the President transfer a judge between High Courts. Article 223 lets the President name an Acting Chief Justice.

How it developed

6 and 31 August 2026

How it started
Collegium recommends eight High Court Chief Justices in August 2026

On 6 August 2026 the Supreme Court Collegium recommended four judges as Chief Justices. Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao would head the Patna High Court. Justice Ravindra V Ghuge would head the Calcutta High Court. Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi would head the Bombay High Court. Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra would stay in Punjab and Haryana as Chief Justice. On 31 August 2026 the Supreme Court published four more Collegium recommendations. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal would head the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra would head the Chhattisgarh High Court. Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje would head the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati would head the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

Supreme Court of India IANS SCC Online
5 September 2026

New fact
Centre notifies eight new High Court Chief Justices

On 5 September 2026 Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments on X. Patna gets Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao from the Delhi High Court. Calcutta gets Justice Ravindra V Ghuge from the Bombay High Court. Bombay gets Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi from the Allahabad High Court. Rajasthan gets Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal from the Chhattisgarh High Court. Punjab and Haryana keeps Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as Chief Justice. Chhattisgarh gets Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra from the Orissa High Court. Madhya Pradesh gets Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje from the Gujarat High Court. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh gets Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati from the Rajasthan High Court.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice PTI The Tribune

Why it matters for UPSC

GS2 · PolityGS2 · JudiciaryGS2 · Appointment to constitutional posts

For GS2, the President appoints a High Court Chief Justice under Article 217 on the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation. The Collegium is a creation of Supreme Court judgments, not of the Constitution's text. Do not confuse an Acting Chief Justice under Article 223 with a Chief Justice appointed under Article 217.

Key terms

Supreme Court CollegiumThe Collegium is a group of senior Supreme Court judges. The Collegium recommends names for judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. For a High Court Chief Justice, the Collegium has three members. The three are the Chief Justice of India and the two senior-most Supreme Court judges. The Third Judges case of 1998 fixed this size. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant leads the Collegium now.

Article 217Article 217 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of High Court judges. The President appoints each judge by a signed warrant. The President must consult the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the state. The President appoints a High Court's Chief Justice the same way. A High Court judge holds office until the age of 62.

Acting Chief JusticeAn Acting Chief Justice does the work of the Chief Justice when that post is vacant. Article 223 lets the President give this duty to one of the other judges of that High Court. Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra became Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in June 2026. On 5 September 2026 the President appointed Justice Mishra as the regular Chief Justice.

Memorandum of ProcedureThe Memorandum of Procedure is a written set of steps for appointing judges. The current Memorandum follows the Third Judges case of 1998. For a High Court Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of India sends the recommendation to the Union Law Minister. The Law Minister puts the name before the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister advises the President. The President then signs the appointment.

Second and Third Judges casesThe Second Judges case is a Supreme Court judgment of 1993. The judgment gave the Chief Justice of India's opinion the final say in appointing judges. The Chief Justice of India had to consult senior judges first. The Collegium system began with this judgment. In the Third Judges case of 1998, the President asked the Supreme Court for its opinion under Article 143. The opinion fixed the Collegium's size.

Parent High CourtA judge's parent High Court is the High Court where the judge's career as a judge began. The President can later transfer the judge to another High Court under Article 222. Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra's parent High Court is Allahabad. The President transferred Justice Mishra to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2025. By practice, a judge does not become Chief Justice of the judge's own parent High Court.

Sources (6)

Supreme Court of India · official · Statement dated 6 August 2026: Supreme Court Collegium recommends elevation of four judges as Chief Justices of the Patna, Calcutta, Bombay and Punjab and Haryana High Courts6 Sep, 2:50 am
SCC Online · Rajasthan HC and 3 other High Courts to get new Chief Justices: SC Collegium's latest round of recommendations (1 September 2026)6 Sep, 2:50 am
IANS · SC Collegium recommends new Chief Justices for Rajasthan, MP and J&K and Ladakh HCs (IANS copy via The Hans India, 1 September 2026)6 Sep, 2:50 am
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice · official · Post of 5 September 2026: the President appoints eight High Court judges as Chief Justices, with the list of names and courts6 Sep, 2:50 am
The Tribune · Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra appointed Punjab and Haryana HC Chief Justice; 7 other High Courts get new CJs (6 September 2026)6 Sep, 2:50 am
PTI · Eight HC chief justices appointed (PTI copy via Greater Kashmir, 6 September 2026)6 Sep, 2:50 am