After Supreme Court judge’s letters, Collegium recommends new Chief Justice for Rajasthan HC

The Supreme Court Collegium on Monday (August 31, 2026) recommended Chhattisgarh High Court judge, Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal, for appointment as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

The resolution by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant came days after letters written by serving top court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta, complaining of the conduct of Rajasthan Acting Chief Justice S.P. Sharma, became public.

Justice Mehta, in a series of three letters in August, had accused Justice Sharma of “favouritism” and misconduct. The Supreme Court judge highlighted that his entreaties to Chief Justice Kant to transfer Justice Sharma out of Rajasthan failed to evoke any response.

Justice Mehta had sought a regular Chief Justice for the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Sharma had been the Acting Chief Justice for the past 10 months.

Chief Justice Kant had issued a press statement the same day the letters came into the public domain.

In his statement, the CJI had said the Collegium would consider Justice Mehta’s allegations through an institutional mechanism.

The Collegium has also recommended new Chief Justices for two other High Courts – Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Justices Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje of Gujarat and Dr. Pushpinder Singh Bhati of Rajasthan have been suggested for appointment as Chief Justices of Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts, respectively.

In a separate resolution, the Supreme Court Collegium said it had recommended, in a meeting held on August 6, to appoint Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra, a judge of the High Court of Orissa, as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court on the retirement of the incumbent on September 4, 2026.

The Collegium has, in a separate resolution, recommended the immediate transfer of Justice Agrawal to the Rajasthan High Court, pending his appointment as its Chief Justice.