Uttarakhand High Court

High Court of Uttarakhand, India

Uttarakhand High Court

29°23′45″N 79°26′52″E﻿ / ﻿29.3958°N 79.4477°E﻿ / 29.3958; 79.4477
Established| 9 November 2000; 24 years ago (2000-11-09)
Jurisdiction| Uttarakhand
Location| Nainital, Uttarakhand
Coordinates| 29°23′45″N 79°26′52″E﻿ / ﻿29.3958°N 79.4477°E﻿ / 29.3958; 79.4477
Composition method| Presidential with confirmation of Chief Justice of India and Governor of Uttarakhand
Authorised by| Constitution of India
Judge term length| mandatory retirement by age of 62
Number of positions| 11
(9 Permanent Judges + 2 Additional Judges)
Website| Uttarakhand High Court
Chief Justice
Currently| Guhanathan Narendar
Since| 26 December 2024
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The Uttarakhand High Court is the High Court of the state of Uttarakhand in India. The Uttarakhand High Court was established on 9 November 2000 after the separation of the state of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh.[1]

The sanctioned judge strength at the time of creation in 2000 was 7; this was increased to 9 in 2003. Justice Ashok Desai was the inaugural holder of the office. Former Chief Justices of Uttarakhand Sarosh Homi Kapadia and Jagdish Singh Khehar later went on to become Chief Justice of India.

## History

[edit]

The Uttarakhand High Court is a relatively new addition to India's judiciary system. The building of Uttarakhand High Court was constructed by Santoni MacDonald in 1900.

Uttarakhand was carved out from the state of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000 under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000. At the time of the creation of the state, the High Court of Uttarakhand was also established on the same day.

The Uttarakhand High Court is located in Nainital, a scenic hill station in the Kumaon region of the state.[1]

The High Court consisted of just five court rooms at the beginning but later more court rooms were added. A huge Chief Justice Court Block and a Block of Lawyers’ chambers were built in 2007.[2]

## Landmark judgements

[edit]

### Status of rivers as legal persons

[edit]

See also: Pollution of the Ganges

In March 2017, Uttarakhand High Court's single-judge bench presided by Justice Rajeev Sharma, mandated that the rivers Ganges and Yamuna as well as all water bodies are "living entities" i.e. "legal person", and appointed 3 persons as trustees to protect the rights of rivers against the pollution caused by the humans.[3]

### Rohit Sagar v. State of Uttarakhand

[edit]

Main article: Rohit Sagar v. State of Uttarakhand

Rohit Sagar v. State of Uttarakhand (2021) is a case where Uttarakhand High Court's two-judges bench presided by Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Narayan Singh Dhanik, held that the legal adults have the fundamental right to choose their own partners, and directed the Uttarakhand Police to provide necessary protection for the individuals and their property.[4][5]

## List of sitting judges of the Uttarakhand High Court

[edit]

There are currently nine sitting judges including the Chief Justice, with two post of additional judge lying vacant.[6] Following is the list of the current serving judges of the Uttarakhand High Court, ordered by seniority.

No.  | Name  | Date of Appointment  | Date of Retirement  | Type of Vacancy  | Parent High Court

|
|
|
|
|

Permanent Judges
1  | Guhanathan Narendar (Chief Justice)  |
26 December 2024  | 9 January 2026  | Bar | Karnataka
2  | Manoj Kumar Tiwari (Senior Judge)  | 19 May 2017  | 18 September 2027  | Uttarakhand
3  | Ravindra Maithani | 3 December 2018  | 24 June 2027  | Bench
4  | Alok Kumar Verma  | 27 May 2019  | 15 August 2026
5  | Rakesh Thapliyal | 28 April 2023  | 14 November 2027  | Bar
6  | Pankaj Purohit | 27 July 2030
7  | Ashish Naithani  | 9 January 2025  | 3 June 2026  | Bench
8  | Alok Mahra  | 14 February 2025  | 31 January 2034  | Bar
9  | Subhash Upadhyay  | 30 May 2025  | 11 December 2034
Additional Judges
10  | Vacant

### Registrar General

[edit]

Yogesh Kumar Gupta is the current Registrar General of the Uttarakhand High Court. He assumed office on 6 June 2025.

## List of Uttarakhand High Court judges elevated to the Supreme Court of India

[edit]

Sr. No  | Portrait  | Name  | Date of Elevation  | Date of Retirement  | Parent High Court

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  | Prafulla Chandra Pant | 13 August 2014  | 29 August 2017  | Uttarakhand
2  |  | Sudhanshu Dhulia | 9 May 2022  | 9 August 2025

## List of Uttarakhand High Court judges elevated as Chief Justice to other high courts

[edit]

Sr. No  | Name  | Date of Elevation  | Date of Retirement  | Parent High Court  | Remark

|
|
|
|
|

1  | Prafulla Chandra Pant | 20 September 2013  | Elevated to the Supreme Court of India

Retired on 29 August 2017

| Uttarakhand  | Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court
2  | Vijay Kumar Bist | 30 October 2018  | 16 September 2019  | Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court
3  | Sudhanshu Dhulia | 10 January 2021  | Elevated to the Supreme Court of India

Retired on 9 August 2025

| Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court

## See also

[edit]

* Chief Justice of Uttarakhand
* List of judges of the Uttarakhand High Court
* High courts of India
* List of sitting judges of the high courts of India
* Supreme Court of India
* List of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India
* Bar Council of Uttarakhand
* District Courts of India
* Nyaya panchayat
* Uttarakhand Lok Adalat
* Uttarakhand Lokayukta
* Judiciary of India

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Uttaranchal High Court Inaugurated". Zee News. 9 November 2000.
2. ^ "About us: HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND".
3. ^ Birds to holy rivers: A list of everything India considers “legal persons”, Quartz, September 2019.
4. ^ Rohit Sagar & Anor. versus State of Uttarakhand & Ors., Writ Petition (CRL) No. 2254 of 2021 (Uttarakhand High Court 16 December 2021).
5. ^ Jha, Prashant. "Uttarakhand High Court grants police protection to gay couple threatened by parents". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
6. ^ Sitting judges of the Uttarakhand High Court

## External links

[edit]

* The High Court of Uttarakhand, official website
* Jurisdiction and Seats of Indian High Courts
* Judge strength in High Courts increased
* High Court of Uttarakhand

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Uttarakhand High Court

Chief
Justice|

Guhanathan Narendar

Sitting
Judges|

1. Manoj Kumar Tiwari
2. Ravindra Maithani
3. Alok Kumar Verma
4. Rakesh Thapliyal
5. Pankaj Purohit
6. Vivek Bharti Sharma
7. Ashish Naithani
8. Alok Mahra

Registrar
General|

Kahkasha Khan

Bar|

Bar Council of Uttarakhand

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State of Uttarakhand

State capitals: legislative: Dehradun (winter); Bhararisain (summer); judicial: Nainital

Government|

| Symbols|

* Day
* Emblem
* Song
* Motto

|

Executive|

* Governor
* Chief Minister
* Council of Ministers
* Cabinets
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* Gazette
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Judiciary|

* High Court
* Chief Justice
* Judges
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History|

| Ancient
kingdoms|

* Uttarakuru kingdom
* Paurava kingdom
* Khasa Janapada kingdom
* Himalaya kingdom
* Parvata kingdom
* Kirata kingdom
* Nanda Empire
* Maurya Empire
* Kushan Empire
* Kuninda kingdom
* Gupta Empire

|

Medieval
kingdoms|

* Garhwal Kingdom
* Panwar dynasty
* Kumaon kingdom
* Katyuri dynasty
* Chand dynasty
* Khasa kingdom
* Raika kingdom
* Gorkha kingdom
* Shah dynasty
* Anglo-Nepalese War
* Treaty of Sugauli

Colonial
Uttarakhand|

| Company
rule|

* Ceded and conquered provinces
* North-Western Provinces
* Agra Presidency

|

Crown
rule|

* United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
* United Provinces

Contemporary
Uttarakhand|

* Rampur Tiraha firing
* Bifurcation of Uttar Pradesh

Geography
and
ecology|

| Geological
features|

| Mountains|

* Great Himalayas
* Garhwal Himalayas
* Sivalik Hills
* Mountain peaks
* Bugyals
* Lakes

|

Plains|

* Bhabar
* Doon Valley
* Terai
* Doab
* Ganges Basin

Ecoregions|

| Highlands|

* Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
* Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
* Himalayan subtropical pine forests

|

Lowlands|

* Western Himalayan broadleaf forests
* Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests
* Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands
* Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests

Demographics|

| Ethnic
groups|

| Indo-Aryans|

* Garhwalis
* Kumaonis
* Jaunsaris
* Buksas
* Tharus
* Van Gujjars

|

Tibeto-Burmans|

* Bhotiyas
* Shaukas
* Rajis
* Jads
* Banrawats

Caste
groups|

* Gangari Brahmin
* Kumaoni Rajput
* Sarola Brahmin
* Scheduled Castes
* Scheduled Tribes

Languages|

| Official|

* Hindi
* Sanskrit

|

Spoken|

| Indo-Aryan|

* Garhwali
* Kumaoni
* Jaunsari
* Bangani
* Buksa
* Tharu
* Van Gujjari

|

Tibeto-Burman|

* Rongpo
* Byangsi
* Chaudangsi
* Darmiya
* Raji
* Rawat
* Jad

Administrative
divisions|

| Urban|

* Districts
* Tehsils
* Urban Local Bodies
* Municipal Corporations

|

Rural|

* Parganas
* Community Development Blocks

Politics|

* Coolie-Begar movement
* Statehood movement
* Chipko movement
* 2016 political crisis
* Elections
* Local elections
* Assembly constituencies
* Former constituencies
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Tourism|

| Monuments|

* World Heritage Site
* Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
* Ramsar Wetland
* Asan Barrage
* Monuments of National Importance
* State Protected Monuments
* Temples
* Tourist attractions in Dehradun

|

Chardham
circuit|

* Gangotri
* Yamunotri
* Yamunotri Temple
* Badrinath
* Badrinath Temple
* Kedarnath
* Kedarnath Temple
* Sapta Badri
* Panch Kedar
* Panch Prayag
* Gomukh

National
parks|

* Gangotri
* Govind Pashu Vihar
* Jim Corbett
* Nanda Devi
* Rajaji
* Valley of Flowers

Sports|

* Cricket
* Men's cricket team
* Women's cricket team
* Association football
* Men's football team
* Cricket Stadium
* Olympic Stadium
* Sports College

Other
topics|

* Transport
* Airports
* Char Dham Highway
* Char Dham Railway
* Dehradun–Rishikesh–Haridwar Metro
* Music
* Cuisine
* Kumaoni cuisine
* Economy
* Education
* School Education Board
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Districts|

| Kumaon|

* Almora
* Bageshwar
* Champawat
* Nainital
* Pithoragarh
* Udham Singh Nagar

|

Garhwal|

* Chamoli
* Dehradun
* Haridwar
* Pauri Garhwal
* Rudraprayag
* Tehri Garhwal
* Uttarkashi

Major
cities|

* Dehradun
* Haridwar
* Haldwani
* Roorkee
* Kashipur
* Rudrapur
* Kotdwar
* Rishikesh
* Ramnagar
* Pithoragarh
* Srinagar
* New Tehri
* Nainital
* Mussoorie
* Almora
* Pauri

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