Supreme Court's New Policy: Early Transfers for Chief Justice Candidates

New Policy Decision by the Supreme Court Collegium

New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium has established a new policy that allows for the early transfer of judges slated to become chief justices of high courts, ideally two months prior to the expected vacancy.

Led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the collegium emphasized that this approach aims to ensure that the appointed judge becomes familiar with the high court's operations before officially assuming the role of chief justice upon the retirement of the current officeholder.

In a statement posted on the Supreme Court's official website, it was noted, "To enhance the efficiency and quality of justice administration, a judge proposed for the chief justice position may be transferred well in advance, preferably two months before the vacancy arises."

As a result of this new policy, the collegium has recommended the transfer of Justice Lisa Gill from the High Court of Punjab and Haryana to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, where she will be appointed as chief justice once the vacancy occurs.

During its meeting on February 26, the collegium also proposed the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari from the Kerala High Court as the chief justice of the Madras High Court, following the retirement of the current chief justice on March 5, 2026.

Additionally, the collegium approved the appointment of nine advocates—Md. Nadim Seraj, Ranjan Kumar Jha, Kumar Manish, Sanjeev Kumar, Girijish Kumar, Alok Kumar, Raj Kumar, Rana Vikram Singh, and Vikash Kumar—as judges of the Patna High Court.