The President on Wednesday appointed new Chief Justices to four High Courts across the country.
One of them, Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Sunita Agarwal, as the new Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, would be the only woman Chief Justice of a High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium, while recommending Justice Agarwal’s name on July 5, had observed that there is no woman among the Chief Justices of the High Courts. The Collegium had felt that Justice Agarwal would give a fillip to gender diversity in the higher judiciary.
Justice Alok Aradhe is the new Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Justice Aradhe was recommended by the Collegium after Justice Ujjal Bhuyan’s elevation from the Telangana Chief Justiceship to the Supreme Court Bench.
Justice Alok Aradhe, whose parent High Court is Madhya Pradesh, was serving in the Karnataka High Court on transfer.
The President has also notified the appointment of Justice Subhasis Talapatra as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court
The Collegium had recommended his name for appointment as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court on the retirement of the incumbent, Justice S. Muralidhar, in August 2023. Justice Talapatra will take charge as Chief Justice on August 7.
Justice Talapatra is the seniormost puisne judge from his parent Tripura High Court. He is currently serving in the Orissa High Court on transfer.
In a separate resolution recommending Justice Talapatra, the Collegium had noted that the Tripura High Court has not got representation among the Chief Justices of High Courts since its inception in 2013.
Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai would take over as the new Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court
Justice Desai, as the seniormost puisne judge of the Gujarat High Court, had been performing the duties of the Chief Justice of that High Court following the retirement of Justice Sonia G Gokani.
Justice P. Sam Koshy, a Chhattisgarh High Court judge, has been transferred to the Telangana High Court. Justice Koshy was initially recommended for the Madhya Pradesh High Court. However, the Collegium had relented to his request for another High Court, and moved him to Telangana.
