Supreme Court Collegium recommends new Chief Justice for Rajasthan High Court

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Chhattisgarh High Court Judge Sanjay K Agarwal as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court. This comes amid allegations by a Supreme Court judge and protests by lawyers against Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma.

The collegium has also decided to transfer Justice Pushpendra Bhati, the second senior most judge at the Rajasthan High Court, who will take charge as Chief Justice at the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Hours earlier, Rajasthan Acting Chief Justice Sharma went on leave amid protests by lawyers.

As per the updated roster for Jaipur bench, the Acting CJ will not be holding any sitting from September 1 to September 5. As per the roster on August 24 by the acting CJ for the Jaipur Bench from August 31, he had listed PIL matters, Special Appeals, all Income Tax Matters including Income Tax appeals, contempt matters, all matters filed by or against High Court as well as Civil Writ Petitions (not assigned to Division Bench 2 and 3) under a division bench which included him and Justice Sangeeta Sharma.

Additionally, arbitration matters (on Friday from 2 pm to 4.30 pm) were listed in his name. However, as lawyer associations escalated their protest on Monday, the acting CJ altered the roster. As per the fresh roster on Monday, a Division Bench of Justice Inderjeet Singh and Justice Sandeep Taneja has been tasked with all the matters which were previously with the DB of acting CJ and Justice Sangeeta Sharma, excluding the arbitration matters.

Additionally, arbitration matters (on Friday from 2 pm to 4.30 pm) were listed in his name. However, as lawyer associations escalated their protest on Monday, the acting CJ altered the roster, excluding himself from the cases.

As per the fresh roster on Monday, a Division Bench of Justice Inderjeet Singh and Justice Sandeep Taneja has been tasked with all the matters which were previously with the DB of acting CJ and Justice Sangeeta Sharma, excluding the arbitration matters.

The development comes days after letters by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant earlier this month became public. In his letters sent to the CJI — on August 2, August 10 and August 17 — and copied to other members of the Supreme Court Collegium, Justice Mehta accused Justice Sharma of “misuse of powers” and said he had received “several complaints”, which “raise doubts” on the Acting CJ’s “integrity”.

Based on this, Justice Mehta also sought transfer of the acting CJ to another High Court and the appointment of a new Chief Justice. Apurva Vishwanath is the National Legal Editor at The Indian Express, where she leads the organization’s coverage of the Indian judiciary, constitutional law, and public policy.

A law graduate with a B.A., LL.B (Hons) from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Apurva brings over a decade of specialized experience to her reporting. She is an authority on judicial appointments and the Supreme Court Collegium, providing critical analysis of the country’s legal landscape.

Before joining The Indian Express in 2019, she honed her expertise at The Print and Mint. Follow her insights on the intersection of law and governance on Twitter ... Read More Hamza Khan is a seasoned Correspondent for The Indian Express, specifically reporting from the diverse and politically dynamic state of Rajasthan.

Based in Jaipur, he provides high-authority coverage on the state's governance, legal landscape, and social issues, directly supporting the "Journalism of Courage" ethos of the publication. Expertise Politics & Governance: Comprehensive tracking of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, including policy changes (e.g., the Right to Health Bill and Anti-Mob Lynching Bills), bypoll dynamics, and the shifting power structures between the BJP and Congress.

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