List of current Indian chief justices
The Indian judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of India, which is the highest court in the country and the constituent courts. The Supreme Court serves as the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India and consists of 33 judges headed by the Chief Justice of India.[1] The High Courts are the top judicial bodies in individual states, controlled and managed by Chief Justices of the respective courts. There are 25 High Courts in the country with seven of them having multiple jurisdictions. The last high courts created in India are the High Court of Telangana and the Andhra Pradesh High Court, both established on January 1, 2019, following the bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh.[2] The High Courts of India manage a system of sub-ordinate courts headed by the various District and Session Courts in their respective jurisdictions. As per the Constitution of India, the Chief Justice, the other judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are appointed by the President of India.[3]
Chief Justice of India
| Image | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Surya Kant[4] (list) | |
| Date of Appointment as CJI | 24 November 2025 (29 days) |
Tenure: 1 year, 78 days |
| Date of Retirement | 9 February 2027 (−1 year, 48 days) | |
| Nominated By | B. R. Gavai | |
| Appointed By | Droupadi Murmu | |
| Date of elevation to Supreme Court | 24 May 2019 (6 years, 213 days) | |
| Seniority rank on the date of elevation | 11 | |
| Date of Initial Appointment as Judge | 9 January 2004 (21 years, 348 days) | |
| Parent High Court | Punjab and Haryana | |
List of chief justices of High Courts
| High Court | Image | Name of the Chief Justice | Date of Appointment as Chief Justice | Date of Retirement | Tenure | Nominated as Chief Justice by | Appointed By | Parent High Court | All India seniority rank | Date of Initial Appointment as Judge | Nominated as Judge of by | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allahabad High Court | Arun Bhansali (list) |
5 February 2024 (1 year, 321 days) |
14 October 2029 (−3 years, 295 days) |
5 years, 252 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Droupadi Murmu | Rajasthan | 13 Since 15 December 2025 |
8 January 2013 (12 years, 349 days) |
Altamas Kabir | ||
| Andhra Pradesh High Court | Dhiraj Singh Thakur (list) |
28 July 2023 (2 years, 148 days) |
24 April 2026 (−122 days) |
2 years, 271 days | Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh | 15 Since 15 December 2025 |
8 March 2013 (12 years, 290 days) |
|||||
| Bombay High Court | Shree Chandrashekhar (list) |
5 September 2025 (109 days) |
24 May 2027 (−1 year, 152 days) |
1 year, 262 days | B. R. Gavai | Jharkhand | 14 Since 15 December 2025 |
17 January 2013 (12 years, 340 days) |
||||
| Calcutta High Court | Sujoy Paul[†] (list) |
8 October 2025 (76 days) |
20 June 2026 (−179 days) |
256 days | -- | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 27 May 2011 (14 years, 210 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | |||
| Chhattisgarh High Court | Ramesh Sinha (list) |
29 March 2023 (2 years, 269 days) |
4 September 2026 (−255 days) |
3 years, 160 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Allahabad | 7 Since 15 December 2025 |
21 November 2011 (14 years, 32 days) |
||||
| Delhi High Court | Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (list) |
29 July 2023 (2 years, 147 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 January 2025 (336 days) |
15 June 2027 (−1 year, 174 days) |
3 years, 322 days Tenure in current HC 2 years, 146 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC Sanjiv Khanna |
Allahabad | 9 Since 15 December 2025 |
21 November 2011 (14 years, 32 days) |
47th CJ of Bombay From 29 July 2023 – 20 January 2025 (1 year, 176 days) | |||
| Gauhati High Court | Ashutosh Kumar (list) |
21 July 2025 (155 days) |
30 September 2028 (−2 years, 282 days) |
3 years, 72 days | B. R. Gavai | Patna | 44 Since 15 December 2025 |
15 May 2014 (11 years, 222 days) |
R. M. Lodha | |||
| Gujarat High Court | Sunita Agarwal (list) |
23 July 2023 (2 years, 153 days) |
29 April 2028 (−2 years, 128 days) |
4 years, 282 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Allahabad | 8 Since 15 December 2025 |
21 November 2011 (14 years, 32 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | |||
| Himachal Pradesh High Court | Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (list) |
29 December 2024 (359 days) |
31 October 2027 (−1 year, 312 days) |
2 years, 307 days | Punjab and Haryana | 6 Since 15 December 2025 |
30 September 2011 (14 years, 84 days) |
|||||
| Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court | Arun Palli (list) |
16 April 2025 (251 days) |
17 September 2026 (−268 days) |
1 year, 155 days | Sanjiv Khanna | Punjab and Haryana | 32 Since 15 December 2025 |
28 December 2013 (11 years, 360 days) |
P. Sathasivam | |||
| Jharkhand High Court | Tarlok Singh Chauhan (list) |
23 July 2025 (153 days) |
8 January 2026 (−16 days) |
170 days | B. R. Gavai | Himachal Pradesh | 42 Since 15 December 2025 |
23 February 2014 (11 years, 303 days) |
||||
| Karnataka High Court | Vibhu Bakhru (list) |
19 July 2025 (157 days) |
1 November 2028 (−2 years, 314 days) |
3 years, 106 days | Delhi | 18 Since 15 December 2025 |
17 April 2013 (12 years, 250 days) |
Altamas Kabir | ||||
| Kerala High Court | Nitin Madhukar Jamdar (list) |
26 September 2024 (1 year, 88 days) |
9 January 2026 (−17 days) |
1 year, 106 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Bombay | 10 Since 15 December 2025 |
23 January 2012 (13 years, 334 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | |||
| Madhya Pradesh High Court | Sanjeev Sachdeva (list) |
17 July 2025 (159 days) |
25 December 2026 (−1 year, 2 days) |
1 year, 162 days | B. R. Gavai | Delhi | 17 Since 15 December 2025 |
17 April 2013 (12 years, 250 days) |
Altamas Kabir | |||
| Madras High Court | Manindra Mohan Shrivastava (list) |
6 February 2024 (1 year, 320 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 July 2025 (155 days) |
5 March 2026 (−72 days) |
2 years, 28 days Tenure in current HC 228 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Chhattisgarh | 1 Since 15 December 2025 |
10 December 2009 (16 years, 13 days) |
K. G. Balakrishnan | 42nd CJ of Rajasthan From 6 February 2024 – 20 July 2025 (1 year, 165 days) | ||
| Manipur High Court | M. Sundar (list) |
15 September 2025 (99 days) |
18 July 2028 (−2 years, 208 days) |
2 years, 308 days | B. R. Gavai | Madras | 75 Since 15 December 2025 |
5 October 2016 (9 years, 79 days) |
T. S. Thakur | |||
| Meghalaya High Court | Soumen Sen (list) |
8 October 2025 (76 days) |
26 July 2027 (−1 year, 215 days) |
1 year, 292 days | Calcutta | 3 Since 15 December 2025 |
13 April 2011 (14 years, 254 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | ||||
| Orissa High Court | Harish Tandon (list) |
26 March 2025 (272 days) |
15 November 2026 (−327 days) |
1 year, 235 days | Sanjiv Khanna | Calcutta | 2 Since 15 December 2025 |
13 April 2010 (15 years, 254 days) |
K. G. Balakrishnan | |||
| Patna High Court | Sudhir Singh[†] (list) |
23 October 2025 (61 days) |
10 December 2027 (−1 year, 352 days) |
2 years, 49 days | -- | Patna | 56 | 15 April 2015 (10 years, 252 days) |
H. L. Dattu | |||
| Punjab and Haryana High Court | Sheel Nagu (list) |
9 July 2024 (1 year, 167 days) |
31 December 2026 (−1 year, 8 days) |
2 years, 176 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Madhya Pradesh | 4 Since 15 December 2025 |
27 May 2011 (14 years, 210 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | |||
| Rajasthan High Court | Sanjeev Prakash Sharma[†] (list) |
28 September 2025 (86 days) |
26 September 2026 (−277 days) |
364 days | -- | Rajasthan | 93 | 16 November 2016 (9 years, 37 days) |
T. S. Thakur | |||
| Sikkim High Court | Meenakshi Madan Rai[†] (list) |
15 December 2025 (8 days) |
11 July 2026 (9 days) |
209 days | -- | Sikkim | 57 | 15 April 2015 (10 years, 252 days) |
H. L. Dattu | |||
| Telangana High Court | Aparesh Kumar Singh (list) |
17 April 2023 (2 years, 250 days) Date of appointment in current HC 19 July 2025 (157 days) |
6 July 2027 (−1 year, 195 days) |
4 years, 81 days Tenure in current HC 1 year, 353 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Jharkhand | 11 Since 15 December 2025 |
24 January 2012 (13 years, 333 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | 8th CJ of Tripura From 17 April 2023 – 18 July 2025 (2 years, 93 days) | ||
| Tripura High Court | Mamidanna Satyaratna Ramachandra Rao (list) |
30 May 2023 (2 years, 207 days) Date of appointment in current HC 22 July 2025 (154 days) |
6 August 2028 (−2 years, 227 days) |
5 years, 69 days Tenure in current HC 3 years, 16 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Telangana | 12 Since 15 December 2025 |
29 June 2012 (13 years, 177 days) |
28th CJ of Himachal Pradesh From 30 May 2023 – 24 September 2024 (1 year, 118 days) 16th CJ of Jharkhand | |||
| Uttarakhand High Court | Guhanathan Narendar (list) |
26 December 2024 (362 days) |
9 January 2026 (−17 days) |
1 year, 15 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Karnataka | 51 Since 15 December 2025 |
2 January 2015 (10 years, 355 days) |
H. L. Dattu |
Key
|
Dates of Changes in Seniority Rank (S.R.):
15 December 2025 - Retirement of Biswanath Somadder (CJ of Sikkim) on 14 December 2025 (S.R. 1)
See also
- List of current Indian governors
- List of current Indian lieutenant governors and administrators
- List of current Indian chief ministers
- List of current Indian deputy chief ministers
- List of current Indian legislative speakers and chairpersons
- List of current Indian opposition leaders
- List of female chief justices in India
- List of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India
- List of former judges of the Supreme Court of India
- List of female judges of the Supreme Court of India
- List of sitting judges of the high courts of India
- List of former chief justices of the high courts of India
References
- ^ "Rule of law index 2016". Justice Project. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to have separate HCs". The Hindu. 26 December 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ "Memorandum of procedure of appointment of Supreme Court Judges". Government of India. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Justice Surya Kant sworn in as 53rd Chief Justice of India". thehindu.com. 24 November 2025.
- ^ List of Chief Justice of the High Court (PDF). Government of India (Report). Retrieved 21 November 2016.