Supreme Court Collegium Recommends New Chief Justices for Rajasthan, MP, J&K High Courts

Collegium Makes Multiple High Court Appointments

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, on Monday recommended the appointment of new chief justices for the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high courts. The collegium, comprising Chief Justice Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh and P S Narasimha, made the recommendations at its meeting, according to reports by Daily Excelsior and Moneycontrol.

Justice Sanjay K Agrawal, whose parent high court is the Chhattisgarh High Court, has been recommended as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. The recommendation comes against the backdrop of allegations made by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta against the court's Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, as reported by multiple outlets.

Justice Mehta, whose parent high court is also Rajasthan, had written three letters to Chief Justice Kant on August 2, 10 and 17, urging the appointment of a permanent chief justice from outside the state. The Times of India reported that Acting Chief Justice Sharma has recused himself from judicial work following the allegations regarding his integrity, and that lawyers at the Jaipur and Jodhpur benches have protested, demanding he be divested of his charge.

Other Recommendations

The collegium also recommended Justice Alpesh Yeshwant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati, whose parent high court is Rajasthan, as the Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, according to Daily Excelsior and Moneycontrol.

Separately, the collegium at its meeting held on August 6 recommended the appointment of Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra, a judge of the Orissa High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. The recommendation was made in view of the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice on September 4, as stated by Daily Excelsior and Moneycontrol. The Times of India reported that the incumbent, Justice Ramesh Sinha, is retiring on September 4, and that Acting Chief Justice Sharma is scheduled to retire on September 26.

The recommendations will take effect after the government makes the necessary appointments under the constitutional process, as per Daily Excelsior.

Background on Justice Agrawal

Justice Agrawal, a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, was appointed an Additional Judge in September 2013 and made permanent in March 2016, according to The New Indian Express. He had earlier served as Advocate General of Chhattisgarh.

The New Indian Express also reported that the collegium recommended that Justice Agrawal be transferred to the Rajasthan High Court immediately, pending his elevation as Chief Justice, to enable him to join as the senior-most judge there.