Collegium recommends Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari as Madras High Court Chief Justice, superseding Justice Atul Sreedharan

ON THURSDAY, the Supreme Court Collegium decided to recommend the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Justice Dharmadhikari originally hails from the Madhya Pradesh High Court and is presently posted at the Kerala High Court on transfer.The Supreme Court Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’) Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath and J.K. Maheshwari, made the recommendation to this effect.The incumbent Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, is set to retire on March 5..The Collegium’s statement does not mention what factors weighed with it in superseding Justice Sreedharan..Superseding Justice Sreedharan?Justice Dharmadhikari’s appointment as Chief Justice will supersede Justice Atul Sreedharan, who is senior to him in inter-se seniority and hails from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Although both judges were appointed on the same day, April 7, 2016, Justice Sreedharan is senior to Justice Dharmadhikari in all-India seniority.The Collegium’s statement does not mention what factors weighed with it in superseding Justice Sreedharan.Justice Sreedharan is currently posted at the Allahabad High Court. His transfer to the Allahabad High Court at the behest of the Union Government invited criticism from civil society, and even a sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, took exception to it.Justice Dharmadhikari will be the third judge representing the Madhya Pradesh High Court across High Courts as Chief Justice. The other two are Justice Sujoy Paul, currently Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, and Justice Sheel Nagu, posted as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justices Paul and Nagu are set to retire on June 20, 2026, and December 31, 2026, respectively.Justice Lisa Gill set to take up the mantle in Andhra PradeshThe Collegium has also decided to transfer Justice Lisa Gill from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Andhra Pradesh High Court. In addition, it has decided to appoint her as Chief Justice there upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice, Dhiraj Singh Thakur, on April 26, 2026.The Collegium stated that it has taken a policy decision to strengthen the efficiency and quality of the administration of justice: a judge proposed to take over a High Court as its Chief Justice may be transferred well in advance preferably two months before the vacancy arises so that the recommendee becomes well conversant with the affairs of that High Court and assumes charge of the office of Chief Justice upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice..Justice Sreedharan holds Court .If appointed as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice Gill will be the third woman to hold that position, besides Justice Sunita Agarwal, who is heading the Gujarat High Court and Justice Revati Mohite Dere, who is the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.With the appointment of Justice Gill as Chief Justice, the Punjab and Haryana High Court will have representation from three judges across High Courts as Chief Justices. Justices Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Arun Palli, both from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, are currently functioning as Chief Justices of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, respectively. While Justice Sandhawalia is slated to retire on October 10, 2027, Justice Palli will retire on September 17, 2026.Justice Gill is slated to retire on November 16, 2028.With the retirement of Justice Gavai in November last year, there is currently one clear vacancy in the Supreme Court.Further vacancies will arise later this year when Justices Rajesh Bindal, Pankaj Mithal, J.K. Maheshwari, Sanjay Karol, and Satish Chandra Sharma demit office on April 15, 2026, June 6, 2026, June 28, 2026, August 28, 2026, and November 29, 2026, respectively.Thus, CJI Kant will be able to fill as many as six vacancies during his tenure, which will come to an end on February 9, 2027..We're bringing The Leaflet closer to you! Join thousands of readers on our new WhatsApp and Telegram channels. Stay informed, stay connected.WhatsAppTelegram

Collegium recommends Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari as Madras High Court Chief Justice, superseding Justice Atul Sreedharan

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