The Central Government has appointed Acting Chief Justices for the Punjab and Haryana, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts following the elevation of their respective Chief Justices to the Supreme Court of India.
The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a gazette notification on June 1 announcing the appointments under Article 223 of the Constitution.
The following judges have been appointed as Acting Chief Justices:
These appointments come after the elevation of Chief Justices Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva, and Arun Palli to the Supreme Court.
Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra was elevated as a judge of the Allahabad High Court in 2014 and was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 2025. He is scheduled to retire in November 2030. Following Chief Justice Sheel Nagu's elevation, the Punjab and Haryana High Court now has a working strength of 57 judges against its sanctioned strength of 85.
Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge became a judge of the Bombay High Court in 2013 and is due to retire in July 2028. The High Court currently functions with 77 judges against a sanctioned strength of 94.
Justice Vivek Rusia was elevated to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2016 and is set to retire in August 2031. The court presently has 40 judges against a sanctioned strength of 53.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar joined the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court as a judge in 2017 and is due to retire in April 2028. The High Court currently has 12 judges against a sanctioned strength of 25.
Except for Justice Mishra, all the newly appointed Acting Chief Justices have more than six months of remaining tenure in their respective High Courts. This has led to expectations that the Supreme Court Collegium may soon recommend permanent Chief Justices for these courts.
Justices Sheel Nagu, Shree Chandrashekhar, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Arun Palli, and V Mohana were sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court earlier today.
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