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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 High Courts 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.[2]
| Name of the Chief Justice | Image | Date of Appointment as Chief Justice | Date of Retirement | Tenure | Nominated By | Appointed By | Date of elevation to Supreme Court | Seniority rank on the date of elevation | Date of Initial Appointment as Judge | Parent High Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (list) |
14 May 2025 (71 days) |
23 November 2025 (−122 days) |
194 days | Sanjiv Khanna | Droupadi Murmu | 24 May 2019 (6 years, 61 days) |
8 | 14 November 2003 (21 years, 252 days) |
Bombay |
| High Court | 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, 169 days) |
14 October 2029 (−4 years, 82 days) |
5 years, 252 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Droupadi Murmu | Rajasthan | 17 Since 30 May 2025 |
8 January 2013 (12 years, 197 days) |
Altamas Kabir | |
| Andhra Pradesh High Court | Dhiraj Singh Thakur (list) |
28 July 2023 (1 year, 361 days) |
24 April 2026 (−274 days) |
2 years, 271 days | Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh | 19 Since 30 May 2025 |
8 March 2013 (12 years, 138 days) |
||||
| Bombay High Court | Alok Aradhe (list) |
23 July 2023 (2 years, 1 day) Date of appointment in current HC 21 January 2025 (184 days) |
12 April 2026 (−262 days) |
2 years, 264 days Tenure in current HC 1 year, 82 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC Sanjiv Khanna |
Madhya Pradesh | 5 Since 24 May 2025 |
29 December 2009 (15 years, 207 days) |
K. G. Balakrishnan | 6th CJ of Telangana From 23 July 2023 – 20 January 2025 (1 year, 182 days) | |
| Calcutta High Court | Tirunelveli Subbiah Sivagnanam (list) |
11 May 2023 (2 years, 74 days) |
15 September 2025 (−53 days) |
2 years, 128 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Madras | 2 Since 24 May 2025 |
31 March 2009 (16 years, 115 days) |
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| Chhattisgarh High Court | Ramesh Sinha (list) |
29 March 2023 (2 years, 117 days) |
4 September 2026 (−1 year, 42 days) |
3 years, 160 days | Allahabad | 11 Since 24 May 2025 |
21 November 2011 (13 years, 245 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | |||
| Delhi High Court | Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (list) |
29 July 2023 (1 year, 360 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 January 2025 (184 days) |
15 June 2027 (−1 year, 326 days) |
3 years, 322 days Tenure in current HC 2 years, 146 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC Sanjiv Khanna |
Allahabad | 13 Since 24 May 2025 |
21 November 2011 (13 years, 245 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 (3 days) |
30 September 2028 (−3 years, 68 days) |
3 years, 72 days | B. R. Gavai | Patna | 51 Since 30 May 2025 |
15 May 2014 (11 years, 70 days) |
R. M. Lodha | ||
| Gujarat High Court | Sunita Agarwal (list) |
23 July 2023 (2 years, 1 day) |
29 April 2028 (−2 years, 280 days) |
4 years, 282 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Allahabad | 12 Since 24 May 2025 |
21 November 2011 (13 years, 245 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | ||
| Himachal Pradesh High Court | Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (list) |
29 December 2024 (207 days) |
31 October 2027 (−2 years, 99 days) |
2 years, 307 days | Punjab and Haryana | 10 Since 24 May 2025 |
30 September 2011 (13 years, 297 days) |
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| Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court | Arun Palli (list) |
16 April 2025 (99 days) |
17 September 2026 (−1 year, 55 days) |
1 year, 155 days | Sanjiv Khanna | Punjab and Haryana | 37 Since 30 May 2025 |
28 December 2013 (11 years, 208 days) |
P. Sathasivam | ||
| Jharkhand High Court | Tarlok Singh Chauhan (list) |
23 July 2025 (1 day) |
8 January 2026 (−168 days) |
170 days | B. R. Gavai | Himachal Pradesh | 49 Since 30 May 2025 |
23 February 2014 (11 years, 151 days) |
|||
| Karnataka High Court | Vibhu Bakhru (list) |
19 July 2025 (5 days) |
1 November 2028 (−3 years, 100 days) |
3 years, 106 days | Delhi | 22 Since 30 May 2025 |
17 April 2013 (12 years, 98 days) |
Altamas Kabir | |||
| Kerala High Court | Nitin Madhukar Jamdar (list) |
26 September 2024 (301 days) |
9 January 2026 (−169 days) |
1 year, 106 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Bombay | 14 Since 30 May 2025 |
23 January 2012 (13 years, 182 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | ||
| Madhya Pradesh High Court | Sanjeev Sachdeva (list) |
17 July 2025 (7 days) |
25 December 2026 (−1 year, 154 days) |
1 year, 162 days | B. R. Gavai | Delhi | 21 Since 30 May 2025 |
17 April 2013 (12 years, 98 days) |
Altamas Kabir | ||
| Madras High Court | Manindra Mohan Shrivastava (list) |
6 February 2024 (1 year, 168 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 July 2025 (3 days) |
5 March 2026 (−224 days) |
2 years, 28 days Tenure in current HC 228 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Chhattisgarh | 4 Since 24 May 2025 |
10 December 2009 (15 years, 226 days) |
K. G. Balakrishnan | 42nd CJ of Rajasthan From 6 February 2024 – 20 July 2025 (1 year, 165 days) | |
| Manipur High Court | Kempaiah Somashekar (list) |
22 May 2025 (63 days) |
14 September 2025 (−52 days) |
116 days | B. R. Gavai | Karnataka | 97 Since 25 July 2025 |
14 November 2016 (8 years, 252 days) |
T. S. Thakur | ||
| Meghalaya High Court | Indra Prasanna Mukerji (list) |
3 October 2024 (294 days) |
5 September 2025 (−43 days) |
338 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Calcutta | 3 Since 24 May 2025 |
18 May 2009 (16 years, 67 days) |
K. G. Balakrishnan | ||
| Orissa High Court | Harish Tandon (list) |
26 March 2025 (120 days) |
15 November 2026 (−1 year, 114 days) |
1 year, 235 days | Sanjiv Khanna | Calcutta | 6 Since 24 May 2025 |
13 April 2011 (14 years, 102 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | ||
| Patna High Court | Vipul Manubhai Pancholi (list) |
21 July 2025 (3 days) |
27 May 2030 (−4 years, 307 days) |
4 years, 311 days | B. R. Gavai | Gujarat | 58 Since 30 June 2025 |
1 October 2014 (10 years, 296 days) |
R. M. Lodha | ||
| Punjab and Haryana High Court | Sheel Nagu (list) |
9 July 2024 (1 year, 15 days) |
31 December 2026 (−1 year, 160 days) |
2 years, 176 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Madhya Pradesh | 8 Since 24 May 2025 |
27 May 2011 (14 years, 58 days) |
S. H. Kapadia | ||
| Rajasthan High Court | Kalpathi Rajendran Shriram (list) |
27 September 2024 (300 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 July 2025 (3 days) |
27 September 2025 (−65 days) |
1 year, 1 day Tenure in current HC 69 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Bombay | 26 Since 30 May 2025 |
21 June 2013 (12 years, 33 days) |
Altamas Kabir | 45th CJ of Madras From 27 September 2024 – 20 July 2025 (297 days) | |
| Sikkim High Court | Biswanath Somadder (list) |
27 April 2020 (5 years, 88 days) Date of appointment in current HC 12 October 2021 (3 years, 285 days) |
14 December 2025 (−143 days) |
5 years, 232 days Tenure in current HC 4 years, 64 days |
S. A. Bobde Nominated in current HC N. V. Ramana |
Ram Nath Kovind | Calcutta | 1 Since 27 October 2023 |
22 June 2006 (19 years, 32 days) |
Y. K. Sabharwal | 9th CJ of Meghalaya From 27 April 2020 – 11 October 2021 (1 year, 168 days) |
| Telangana High Court | Aparesh Kumar Singh (list) |
17 April 2023 (2 years, 98 days) Date of appointment in current HC 19 July 2025 (5 days) |
6 July 2027 (−1 year, 347 days) |
4 years, 81 days Tenure in current HC 1 year, 353 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Droupadi Murmu | Jharkhand | 15 Since 30 May 2025 |
24 January 2012 (13 years, 181 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, 55 days) Date of appointment in current HC 22 July 2025 (2 days) |
6 August 2028 (−3 years, 13 days) |
5 years, 69 days Tenure in current HC 3 years, 16 days |
D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai |
Telangana | 16 Since 30 May 2025 |
29 June 2012 (13 years, 25 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 (210 days) |
9 January 2026 (−169 days) |
1 year, 15 days | D. Y. Chandrachud | Karnataka | 60 Since 30 June 2025 |
2 January 2015 (10 years, 203 days) |
H. L. Dattu |
† - Acting Chief Justice
Dates of Changes in Seniority Rank (S.R.):
27 October 2023 - Retirement of Vipin Sanghi (CJ of Uttarakhand) on 26 October 2023 (S.R. 1)
24 May 2025 - Retirement of S. K. Kait (CJ of Madhya Pradesh) on 23 May 2025 (S.R. 2)
30 May 2025 - Elevation of N. V. Anjaria (CJ of Karnataka) to Supreme Court on 30 May 2025 (S.R. 14)
30 June 2025 - Retirement of P. B. Suresh Kumar (Judge of Kerala) on 29 June 2025 (S.R. 52)
25 July 2025 - Retirement of R. Subramanian (Judge of Madras) on 24 July 2025 (S.R. 84)