Centre clears new Chief Justices for Kerala, Patna and Meghalaya High Courts

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The Centre on Thursday notified the appointment and transfer of Chief Justices of several High Courts, acting on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.

A notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice said that the President, in exercise of powers under Article 222 of the Constitution, has transferred Justice Soumen Sen, Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, to serve as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar on January 9, 2026.

“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice Soumen Sen, Chief Justice, Meghalaya High Court, and to direct him to assume charge as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court,” the notification said.

In a separate notification, the Centre said that the President, acting under Article 217 of the Constitution, has appointed Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, Judge of the Orissa High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, with effect from the date he assumes charge of office.

Another notification cleared the appointment of Justice Revati Prashant Mohite Dere, Judge of the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, consequent upon the transfer of the incumbent Chief Justice Justice Soumen Sen.

These appointments and transfers follow the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on December 18, 2025, which had proposed the elevation and transfer of Chief Justices across several High Courts.

However, two recommendations of the apex court Collegium are yet to be acted upon by the Centre. The proposal to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice G. Narendar on January 9, and the proposal to appoint Justice M.S. Sonak of the Bombay High Court as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, are still awaiting notification.

pds/pgh