The Supreme Court Collegium has decided that judges earmarked to become chief justices of high courts will be transferred to their new high courts well in advance, preferably two months before the vacancy arises, signalling a crucial policy shift aimed at ensuring smoother leadership transitions in high courts.
The decision, taken at a meeting held on Wednesday evening and led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, is intended to enable incoming chief justices to familiarise themselves with the administrative and judicial functioning of their new courts before formally assuming charge.
“The Collegium has taken a policy decision that in order to strengthen the efficiency and quality of administration of justice, a judge who is proposed to take over the high court as its chief justice may be transferred well in advance, preferably two months before the vacancy arises, so that such recommendee in the meantime becomes well conversant with the affairs of that high court and assumes charge of the office of chief justice, on the retirement of incumbent chief justice,” the statement said.
The collegium also comprises justices Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari, BV Nagarathna and MM Sundresh.
Implementing the new policy for the first time, the collegium resolved to recommend the transfer of Justice Lisa Gill from the Punjab and Haryana high court to the Andhra Pradesh High Court. She has also been recommended for appointment as chief justice of that high court with effect from the date the vacancy arises later in April, upon the retirement of the incumbent chief justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur.
The collegium also recommended the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, currently a judge of the Kerala high court (parent high court: Madhya Pradesh), as chief justice of the Madras High Court. The recommendation follows the impending retirement of the incumbent chief justice MM Shrivastava on March 5.
Justice Shrivastava is presently a member of the Lok Sabha-mandated panel probing allegations against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma over the discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence in Delhi last year. Following Shrivastava’s retirement, the panel has been reconstituted, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nominating Bombay high court chief justice Shree Chandrashekhar in his place, while the other two members continue.
However, the collegium is yet to recommend a full-time chief justice for the Rajasthan High Court, which has been functioning under an acting chief justice since September 2025.
In a separate resolution, the collegium approved the appointment of nine advocates as judges of the Patna high court: Md. Nadim Seraj, Ranjan Kumar Jha, Kumar Manish, Sanjeev Kumar, Girijish Kumar, Alok Kumar, Raj Kumar, Rana Vikram Singh and Vikash Kumar.
A person aware of the deliberations said that the new policy reflects a conscious effort to strengthen institutional continuity and administrative efficiency in the high courts. “Chief justices play a pivotal role not only in judicial work but in roster allocation, infrastructure planning, case management and overall administrative supervision. By ensuring that a judge designated to become chief justice spends time in the new high court before formally taking over, the collegium hopes to minimise disruption and enhance efficiency from day one,” the person told HT.
The move is expected to streamline transitions at a time when several high courts witness frequent leadership changes, in wake of the stipulation in the memorandum of procedure (MoP) requiring that a high court chief justice must be appointed from outside the parent high court. The policy is evolved to preserve institutional independence, avoid local influences and reinforce public confidence in the impartial administration of justice.
