Supreme Court Collegium Recommends New Chief Justice for Rajasthan High Court Amid Row Over Acting CJ Sharma

The recommendation to appoint Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal as Chief Justice comes days after lawyers went on strike demanding the removal of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, following allegations by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta of case-listing manipulation and intimidation of judicial officers.
Supreme Court Collegium Recommends New Chief Justice for Rajasthan High Court Amid Row Over Acting CJ Sharma
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THE SUPREME COURT COLLEGIUM has recommended Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal, whose parent high court is the Chhattisgarh High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. The Collegium, in its meeting held on August 31, 2026, recommended the elevation of judges as Chief Justices of the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts, and separately recommended the transfer of Justice Agrawal from the Chhattisgarh High Court to the Rajasthan High Court.

The appointment of the Rajasthan High Court’s Chief Justice comes amidst protests by lawyers against Justice Sharma after Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta reportedly accused Justice Sharma, in a letter to the Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’), of manipulating the listing of cases and threatening judicial officers. The Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, has decided not to hold court till September 5. He is slated to retire on September 25 this year.

In a roster issued last evening under Justice Sharma’s signature, no Bench comprising him has been constituted till September 5 to hear any matter at the Jaipur Bench. The roster issued for the Jodhpur Bench also, Justice Sharma has not assigned any matter to himself.

Being Acting Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Sharma is also the Master of Roster who has exclusive power to constitute Benches and assign cases to judges.

In a video that went viral on social media, a group of lawyers at the Rajasthan High Court was heard saying: “Gali gali mein shor hai, hamara mukhiya chor hai” 

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