The Supreme Court Collegium has proposed three appointments to fill the Chief Justice posts for Patna, Meghalaya and Manipur High Courts. Led by Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai, the collegium has forwarded names to the Union government after evaluating seniority, judicial record and administrative capability.
Justice P. B. Bajanthri, currently Acting Chief Justice of Patna High Court, is to be made its Chief Justice on a permanent basis. Justice Soumen Sen of Calcutta High Court has been recommended as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. Justice M. Sunder of Madras High Court has been proposed for the Chief Justice role in Manipur High Court, following the expected retirement of its incumbent Chief Justice, K. Somashekar, on 14 September 2025.
The collegium consists of CJI B. R. Gavai, along with Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath. Bajanthri was elevated as a judge of Karnataka High Court in January 2015, had a brief stint at Punjab and Haryana High Court, returned to Karnataka in 2018, and transferred to Patna High Court in October 2021. Sen has served as a judge in Calcutta High Court since April 2011. Sundar was appointed a judge in Madras High Court in October 2016.
Patna High Court has been under acting leadership in its Chief Justice role since vacancies arose. Meghalaya High Court will attain its full sanctioned strength of judges once these recommendations are approved. Manipur High Court currently has fewer sitting judges than its full strength; the appointment of a new Chief Justice is aimed at bolstering its bench.
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