The Centre on Saturday evening notified the appointment of eight new chief justices to excessive courts, together with Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal as chief justice of the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom, amid an argument over performing Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma after Supreme Courtroom choose Justice Sandeep Mehta accused him of “corruption”, “nepotism”, “favouritism” and misuse of administrative powers.
Justice Agrawal’s appointment might now pave the way in which for the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom to have a daily chief justice after practically a 12 months, probably easing one side of the controversy at the same time as Justice Mehta’s separate demand for Justice Sharma’s switch out of Rajasthan stays to be acted upon.
The notification got here 4 days after the Supreme Courtroom collegium advisable Justice Agrawal, at the moment a choose of the Chhattisgarh Excessive Courtroom, for the Rajasthan submit. The collegium had additionally individually advisable his switch from Chhattisgarh to Rajasthan, a step that might facilitate his motion to the brand new courtroom.
Additionally Learn | ‘Order can’t be without reasoning’: Supreme Court sets aside Allahabad HC ruling
The opposite appointments notified on Saturday are Justice V Kameswar Rao as chief justice of the Patna Excessive Courtroom, Justice Ravindra V Ghuge as chief justice of the Calcutta Excessive Courtroom, Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi as chief justice of the Bombay Excessive Courtroom, Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom, Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra as chief justice of the Chhattisgarh Excessive Courtroom, Justice Alpesh Yashwant Kogje as chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh Excessive Courtroom and Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati as chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Excessive Courtroom.
The Rajasthan appointment assumes significance towards the backdrop of three letters written by Justice Mehta to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on August 2, 10 and 17, wherein he alleged corruption, nepotism, favouritism and administrative impropriety towards Justice Sharma and sought his switch out of the state. Justice Mehta had additionally urged the CJI to nominate a daily chief justice from one other excessive courtroom.
Additionally Learn | Bar Council has no business disciplining students, says Supreme Court on law school row
The CJI has indicated that the allegations towards a sitting choose must be handled by means of the established institutional mechanism and that Justice Sharma must be given a possibility to reply. Justice Sharma has since submitted an in depth response to the CJI, denying the allegations as baseless and factless and stating that he had supported his rebuttal with proof.
The appointment of Justice Agrawal, subsequently, addresses the rapid query of who will head the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom on a full-time foundation. Nevertheless it doesn’t, by itself, resolve the separate situation raised by Justice Mehta relating to Justice Sharma.
Justice Sharma’s switch out of Rajasthan has not to this point been examined by the collegium, and the allegations made towards him stay issues underneath institutional consideration.
Justice Agrawal’s transfer to Rajasthan additionally comes at a very vital juncture. He was appointed performing chief justice of the Chhattisgarh Excessive Courtroom following the retirement of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha on September 4, pending completion of the method for his transfer to Rajasthan.
Justice Sharma, who has been functioning as performing chief justice of the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom since September 2025, is because of retire on September 26. The arrival of a daily chief justice earlier than then would carry an finish to the extended interval wherein the courtroom has functioned underneath an performing chief justice, whereas leaving the separate institutional proceedings regarding the allegations towards Sharma to be handled by the CJI and the collegium.