Crime Today News
The Supreme Court Collegium on Monday recommended the appointment of four Chief Justices at the High Courts of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gauhati and Patna, along with transfer of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
Headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice BV Nagarathna as it’s members, the Apex Court Collegium made the recommendations during its meeting held today.
It recommended the elevation of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Himachal Pradesh High Court judge Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court,
Patna High Court Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, and Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi as Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
The Collegium further recommended the transfer of Delhi High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
Justice Sachdeva is currently serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court after the retirement of former Chief Justice Suresh Kait on May 23.
Sanjeev Sachdeva enrolled as an lawyer with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1988, Justice Sachdeva practiced before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court and various district courts in Delhi. He became an Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court in 1995.
He served as Standing Counsel for the Bar Council of India for over two decades and was also a Senior Panel Lawyer for the Union of India, representing the government in numerous matters for more than 10 years.
In July 2011, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court.
He was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on April 17, 2013 and became a permanent judge on March 18, 2015. He was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court with effect from May 30, 2024.
Justice Chauhan is the senior-most judge at the Himachal Pradesh High Court after the Chief Justice. He did his schooling from Shimla and studied law at Panjab University, Chandigarh.
He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh in 1989 and practiced in all branches of law. He was elevated as additional judge of the High Court in 2014. He was made permanent the same year.
The decision to appoint Justice Chauhan as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court was taken as a vacancy is likely to arise there after transfer of incumbent Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao.
The post of Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court is slated to fall vacant after the Collegium recommended the appointment of the current Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi, as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Justice Kumar completed his schooling at St. Michael’s High School in Patna and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He earned his LL.B. degree from the Campus Law Centre at Delhi University and enrolled as an advocate at the Patna High Court on July 9, 1991.
He was appointed as an additional judge of the Patna High Court on May 15, 2014. He was later transferred to the Delhi High Court, where he took the oath of office on January 7, 2015.
He was confirmed as a permanent judge of the Patna High Court on April 21, 2016, and was transferred back on November 21, 2017.
Since January 2025, he has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
Justice Pancholi is currently serving as a judge of the Patna High Court where Justice Ashutosh Kumar is the acting Chief Justice.
The post of Chief Justice is slated to fall vacant since the Collegium has recommended the transfer and appointment of Justice Kumar as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court.
Justice Pancholi’s parent High Court is Gujarat. He was transferred to Patna in July 2023.
Justice Pancholi was born on May 28, 1968. He joined the Bar in September 1991 and started practice as an advocate in the Gujarat High Court.
He was elevated as an additional judge of the Gujarat High Court October 1, 2014 and confirmed as permanent Judge on June 10, 2016.
His transfer to the Patna High Court from Gujarat was mired in controversy after the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) opposed the same.
In a communication to the then Chief Justice of India, the GHCAA had said that Justice Pancholi imbibed all the qualities that a good judge should possess. They further highlighted that Justice Pancholi has disposed of over 35,000 matters. Despite the opposition, the transfer was effectuated.
This article first appeared on India Legal
📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC
Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting
