Three Major High Courts Including Delhi Functioning Without Chief Justices

The High Courts currently without a Chief Justice and operating with Acting Chief Justices are Delhi, Jharkhand, and Punjab & Haryana High Courts. Notably, Acting Chief Justice Manmohan of Delhi High Court is also set to retire in 2024.

Punjab and Haryana High Court has not had a Chief Justice in over five months, as Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha retired over five months ago on October 14, 2023. Similarly, Delhi and Jharkhand High Courts have been without Chief Justices for over four and two months respectively.

The vacancies in these High Courts stem from retirement or elevations of the respective Chief Justices to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma of Delhi High Court was elevated in November 2023. Interestingly, despite swift clearance of his appointment, there has been no Collegium recommendation yet for the appointment of a Chief Justice in Delhi High Court.

Further, the Supreme Court Collegium in December 2023 made recommendations for appointment of Chief Justices in five High Courts facing vacancies. Out of those, the following recommendations are pending –

1. Justice BR Sarangi of Orissa High Court as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court due to retirement of Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra on December 28, 2023. Justice Sarangi is set to retire in July 2024.
2. Justice Sheel Nagu of Madhya Pradesh High Court as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court due to retirement of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha on October 13, 2023.

The Central Government has not yet notified appointments based on these Collegium recommendations.

Moreover, Chief Justices of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Uttarakhand High Courts are slated to retire this year, giving rise to further vacancies.