Centre Clears Appointments of 8 Chief Justices of Various High Courts – THE LIST

New Delhi, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

The Centre has cleared the appointment of Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal as the regular Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, along with seven other appointments as Chief Justices of various High Courts, following recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium.

Justice Agrawal, currently a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court by the President after consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by CJI Kant, had recommended Justice Agrawal’s transfer from the Chhattisgarh High Court and appointment as Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice at its meeting on August 31.

The recommendation came amid concerns raised by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta over the functioning of Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. Justice Mehta, who was elevated to the Supreme Court from the Rajasthan High Court, had written three letters dated August 2, August 10 and August 17 to the CJI and the Collegium, seeking the appointment of a regular Chief Justice from another High Court.

Justice Mehta had raised allegations including alleged misuse of administrative powers, manipulation of case listings and favouritism towards certain lawyers and parties.

Taking note of the matter, CJI Surya Kant had said allegations against a sitting judge must be dealt with through established institutional mechanisms and cannot be adjudicated in the public domain. He stressed that the mere existence of allegations cannot be treated as a finding against the judge. The matter was examined at the appropriate institutional level after considering the material placed by Justice Mehta and the response of Justice Sharma.

With the Centre clearing the Collegium’s recommendation, Justice Agrawal will now head the Rajasthan High Court as its regular Chief Justice.

The Centre has also approved the following seven Chief Justice appointments:

• Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao of the Delhi High Court as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
• Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge of the Bombay High Court as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
• Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
• Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
• Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra of the Orissa High Court as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
• Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
• Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati of the Rajasthan High Court as Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

Official List

1. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal — Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court
2. Justice Valluri Kameswar Rao — Chief Justice, Patna High Court
3. Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge — Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court
4. Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi — Chief Justice, Bombay High Court
5. Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra — Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court
6. Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra — Chief Justice, Chhattisgarh High Court
7. Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje — Chief Justice, Madhya Pradesh High Court
8. Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati — Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court