New Delhi, Sept 1: The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, has recommended the appointment of Rajasthan High Court Judge Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati as the Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
The recommendation was made at the Collegium’s meeting held on August 31, 2026, according to a statement issued by the Supreme Court.
Justice Bhati is among three judges recommended by the Collegium for appointment as Chief Justices of High Courts. Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court has been recommended as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, while Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been recommended as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
In a separate recommendation, the Collegium has proposed Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra of the Orissa High Court as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice on September 4, 2026.
The Centre will now process the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendations in accordance with the existing memorandum of procedure governing the appointment and transfer of High Court judges.
The recommendation of Justice Agrawal as the next Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court comes days after CJI Surya Kant said he had taken note of concerns raised by Supreme Court Judge Justice Sandeep Mehta regarding the functioning of the Rajasthan High Court.
Justice Mehta, who was elevated to the Supreme Court from the Rajasthan High Court, had in three letters dated August 2, August 10 and August 17 urged the CJI and the Supreme Court Collegium to appoint a regular Chief Justice from another High Court to head the Rajasthan High Court.
He had also raised allegations against Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, including alleged misuse of administrative powers, manipulation of case listings and favouritism towards certain lawyers and parties.
CJI Kant had stressed that allegations against a sitting judge must be dealt with strictly through established institutional mechanisms and cannot be adjudicated in the public domain.
“The fact that allegations have been made, therefore, cannot by itself be treated as a finding against the judge,” the CJI had said.
He had further said the matter was being examined at the appropriate level and that the process would take into account the material placed by Justice Mehta as well as Justice Sharma’s response.
The Collegium has also separately recommended the transfer of Justice Agrawal from the Chhattisgarh High Court to the Rajasthan High Court as part of the process.
