Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala was sworn-in as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court on Sunday, May 28, 2023. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office during a ceremony in Raj Bhavan after presenting him the warrant of appointment.
With his appointment, notified by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on May 26, 2023, the Madras High Court gets a permanent Chief Justice after more than eight months. So far, the senior most judges of the High Court had been serving as Acting Chief Justice since the retirement of the last Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Munishwar Nath Bhandari on September 12, 2022.
While Justice M. Duraiswamy served as ACJ for a brief period until his retirement on September 21, his successor Justice T. Raja served from September 22 till his retirement on May 24, 2023. Justice S. Vaidyanathan was serving as the ACJ since May 25.
Justice Gangapurwala was formerly the Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Born in May 1962, he started practice in 1985. He was advocate for many financial institutions such as Central Bank of India, Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank and Jalgaon Janata Sahakari Bank.
He was the government counsel before the Justice Mane Commission and had been the counsel representing the Bombay High Court Registry too.
A keen sportsman, he had played lawn tennis at national-level and was also a State-level basketball player. He became the additional judge of the Bombay High Court in March 2010.
During the swearing-in ceremony held at Chennai on Sunday, the Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court S. Vaidyanathan, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu were among those present on the dais.
Dignitaries present in the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan, included a few serving judges of the Supreme Court and the Madras and other High Courts, Assembly Speaker M. Appavu, senior members of the Council of Ministers. Former judges of the apex and High Courts, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, a few former Ministers and senior officials.
