Centre Notifies Major Judicial Appointments Across High Courts, Appoints Acting Chief Justices for Rajasthan and Calcutta

New Delhi – In a significant series of developments impacting the Indian higher judiciary, the Central Government, through the Ministry of Law and Justice, has notified a raft of appointments, transfers, and elevations across several High Courts. The notifications, released on Friday, September 26, include the appointment of 24 new judges to the Allahabad High Court and the naming of Acting Chief Justices for the High Courts of Rajasthan and Calcutta, signaling a period of transition and reinforcement for these crucial judicial bodies.

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Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to be Acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court

A key notification confirms the appointment of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma as the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. He is set to assume the duties of the office following the retirement of Chief Justice Kalpathi Rajendran Shriram on September 27, 2025.

The official notification from the Department of Justice states:

"In exercise of the power conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, to perform the duties of office of the Chief Justice of that High Court consequent upon retirement of Shri Justice Kalpathi Rajendran Shriram on 27.09.2025."

This appointment marks a significant moment in Justice Sharma's judicial career, which has been characterized by a series of transfers across the country. Originally elevated as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court on November 16, 2016, Justice Sharma was transferred to the Patna High Court in October 2021. Citing health concerns and the need for specialized medical care, he sought repatriation to his parent High Court.

While the Supreme Court Collegium, in a 2023 resolution, did not approve his immediate repatriation, it acknowledged his health issues and accepted his alternative request for a transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, given the availability of medical facilities in Chandigarh. Subsequently, he was transferred from Patna to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in April 2023, and later repatriated to his parent Rajasthan High Court in July of the same year. His appointment as Acting Chief Justice now places him at the administrative helm of the very court he sought to return to.

Calcutta High Court Gets New Acting Chief Justice

Simultaneously, the Centre has appointed Justice Sujoy Paul to serve as the Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. This move is a consequence of the elevation of Justice Soumen Sen, a senior judge of the Calcutta High Court, who has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court. These interconnected appointments ensure leadership continuity in two key High Courts in the eastern region.

Major Reinforcement for Allahabad High Court with 24 New Judges

In one of the largest single sets of appointments in recent memory, the Allahabad High Court, the country's largest, will see its judicial strength significantly bolstered. The Ministry of Law and Justice has notified the appointment of 24 new judges, comprising 10 advocates from the Bar and 14 judicial officers from the subordinate judiciary.

The newly appointed judges from the Bar include Senior Advocates Garima Prashad, Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary, and Swarupama Chaturvedi, alongside advocates Vivek Saran, Vivek Kumar Singh, Sudhanshu Chauhan, Siddharth Nandan, Kunal Ravi Singh, Indrajeet Shukla, and SatyaVeer Singh.

The 14 judicial officers elevated to the High Court bench are Dr. Ajay Kumar-II, Chawan Prakash, Divesh Chandra Samant, Prashant Mishra-I, Tarun Saxena, Rajeev Bharti, Padam Narain Mishra, Lakshmi Kant Shukla, Jai Prakash Tiwari, Devendra Singh-I, Sanjiv Kumar, Vani Ranjan Agrawal, Achal Sachdev, and Babita Rani.

This infusion of judicial talent is expected to have a substantial impact on the functioning of the Allahabad High Court, which has historically grappled with one of the highest case backlogs in the country. The balanced intake from both the Bar and the Bench is in line with the established practice of drawing on diverse legal experience to enrich the High Court.

Appointments in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka High Courts

The series of notifications also included appointments for other High Courts:

• Himachal Pradesh High Court: Two advocates, Jiya Lal Bhardwaj and Romesh Verma, have been appointed as judges.
• Karnataka High Court: Additional Judge Kurubarahalli Venkataramareddy Aravind has been appointed as a Permanent Judge. Additionally, three judicial officers—Geetha Kadaba Bharatharaja Setty, Borkatte Muralidhara Pai, and Tyagaraja Narayan Inavally—have been appointed as Additional Judges.

Legal and Administrative Implications

These appointments underscore the ongoing collaborative process between the Supreme Court Collegium, which recommends candidates, and the Central Government, which formally appoints them. The appointments are made under the powers vested in the President by the Constitution of India, specifically Article 223 for Acting Chief Justices and Article 217 for High Court judges.

The significant number of appointments to the Allahabad High Court is a direct response to the judiciary's long-standing need for increased judge strength to tackle pendency. For legal practitioners and litigants, this development promises a potential acceleration in the disposal of cases.

The appointment of Acting Chief Justices is a crucial administrative measure that prevents a leadership vacuum upon the retirement or elevation of a sitting Chief Justice. The ACJ holds all administrative powers of the office, including the allocation of cases and management of the court roster, ensuring the seamless functioning of the High Court.

The case of Justice Sharma also brings to light the human element within the judicial transfer system, highlighting how personal factors like health can intersect with the broader administrative policies governed by the Collegium. His eventual return and appointment as ACJ of his parent High Court will be viewed by many as a positive culmination of a challenging period.

As these newly appointed judges assume their respective offices, the legal community will be watching closely to see their impact on jurisprudence and judicial administration across the nation.