New Delhi: Justice Pankaj Mithal of the Allahabad High Court will be the next Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has also recommended Calcutta High Court’s Justice Sanjib Banerjee for appointment as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia of the Uttarakhand High Court has been recommended for appointment as the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court.
Justice S Muralidhar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been elevated as the next Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court while Justice Hima Kohli of the Delhi High Court as the new Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Justice Rajesh Bindal – the Acting Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court – has been transferred to the Calcutta High Court.
In a major reshuffle, the Collegium in its December 14 meeting also recommended transfer of Chief Justices of high courts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim and Odisha.
Sikkim High Court Chief Justice AK Goswami has been recommended to be transferred as the new Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which was seen as being at loggerheads with state Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy who had alleged that the High Court was being used by political opponents to destabilize his government.
While Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice JK Maheswari is being sent to the Sikkim High Court, Chief Justice RS Chauhan of the Telangana High Court has been recommended to be appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
Orissa High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq has been recommended to be transferred as the new Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Justice Sanjay Yadav, who has been functioning as the acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court who, has been recommended to be transferred to the Allahabad High Court. Another Justice of the Madhya Pradesh HC, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma is being transferred to the Karnataka HC.
Justice Vineet Kothari of the Madras HC has been recommended to be transferred to the Gujarat HC while Justice Joymalya Bagchi of the Calcutta HC has been shifted to the Andhra Pradesh HC