The Central government on Thursday approved the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the development on X (formerly Twitter).

Justice Dharmadhikari’s appointment coincides with the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava, who demits office on March 5.

The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Justice Dharmadhikari’s elevation as the next Chief Justice of the Madras High Court during its meeting held on February 26, 2026. At the time of the recommendation, he was serving as a judge of the Kerala High Court. His parent High Court is the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Born on July 8, 1966, in Raipur, Justice Dharmadhikari began his legal practice in 1992. He practised for more than two decades before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, dealing with civil, criminal and constitutional matters.

During his time at the Bar, he served as Standing Counsel for the Union of India from 2000 to 2015. He also appeared as Senior Standing Counsel for several government bodies and public sector institutions, including the Income Tax Department, the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Excise Department.

Justice Dharmadhikari was appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on April 7, 2016, and was made a permanent judge on March 17, 2018.

He was later transferred to the Kerala High Court on April 23, 2025, before being appointed as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.