Justice Mahesh Sonak Appointed as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court
Appointment of Chief Justice
New Delhi, Jan 2: The Central Government has officially announced the appointment of Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak, a judge from the Bombay High Court, as the new Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. This decision follows the upcoming retirement of the current Chief Justice on January 8.
According to a notification from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, the President has exercised constitutional powers, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), to appoint Justice Sonak to this prestigious position.
This appointment aligns with the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium, led by CJI Surya Kant, which had previously suggested Justice Sonak's elevation due to the impending retirement of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan.
Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964, and completed his education at Don Bosco High School in Panaji, Goa. He earned a B.Sc. from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and an LL.B. from M.S. College of Law, Panaji, which is affiliated with Bombay University.
Before his elevation to the Bench, he began his legal career as an advocate registered with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in October 1988, practicing at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court in various fields including civil and constitutional law, labor law, environmental law, and public interest litigations.
Throughout his career, Justice Sonak has held positions such as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central Government and Special Counsel for the State Government and statutory corporations.
He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.
Additionally, on Thursday, the Central Government announced the appointment and transfer of Chief Justices for the High Courts of Kerala, Patna, and Meghalaya. However, the Collegium's recommendation to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta from the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court is still pending action from the Centre.