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 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]

List of chief justices

Chief Justice of India ^[3]

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 (125 days)	23 November 2025 (−68 days)	194 days	Sanjiv Khanna	Droupadi Murmu	24 May 2019 (6 years, 115 days)	8	14 November 2003 (21 years, 306 days)	Bombay

Chief Justices of High Courts ^[4]

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	Date of Initial Appointment as Judge All India seniority rank	Nominated as Judge of by	Remarks
Allahabad High Court	Arun Bhansali (list)	5 February 2024 (1 year, 223 days)	14 October 2029 (−4 years, 28 days)	5 years, 252 days	D. Y. Chandrachud	Droupadi Murmu	Rajasthan	8 January 2013 (12 years, 251 days) 14 Since 16 September 2025	Altamas Kabir
Andhra Pradesh High Court	Dhiraj Singh Thakur (list)	28 July 2023 (2 years, 50 days)	24 April 2026 (−220 days)	2 years, 271 days			Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh	8 March 2013 (12 years, 192 days) 16 Since 16 September 2025
Bombay High Court	Shree Chandrashekhar (list)	5 September 2025 (11 days)	24 May 2027 (−1 year, 250 days)	1 year, 262 days	B. R. Gavai		Jharkhand	17 January 2013 (12 years, 242 days) 15 Since 16 September 2025
Calcutta High Court	Soumen Sen [†] (list)	16 September 2025 (0 days)	26 July 2027 (−1 year, 313 days)	1 year, 314 days	--		Calcutta	13 April 2011 (14 years, 156 days) 4	S. H. Kapadia
Chhattisgarh High Court	Ramesh Sinha (list)	29 March 2023 (2 years, 171 days)	4 September 2026 (−353 days)	3 years, 160 days	D. Y. Chandrachud		Allahabad	21 November 2011 (13 years, 299 days) 8 Since 16 September 2025
Delhi High Court	Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (list)	29 July 2023 (2 years, 49 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 January 2025 (238 days)	15 June 2027 (−1 year, 272 days)	3 years, 322 days Tenure in current HC 2 years, 146 days	D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC Sanjiv Khanna		Allahabad	21 November 2011 (13 years, 299 days) 10 Since 16 September 2025		47th CJ of Bombay From 29 July 2023 – 20 January 2025 (1 year, 176 days)
Gauhati High Court	Ashutosh Kumar (list)	21 July 2025 (57 days)	30 September 2028 (−3 years, 14 days)	3 years, 72 days	B. R. Gavai		Patna	15 May 2014 (11 years, 124 days) 46 Since 18 September 2025	R. M. Lodha
Gujarat High Court	Sunita Agarwal (list)	23 July 2023 (2 years, 55 days)	29 April 2028 (−2 years, 226 days)	4 years, 282 days	D. Y. Chandrachud		Allahabad	21 November 2011 (13 years, 299 days) 9 Since 16 September 2025	S. H. Kapadia
Himachal Pradesh High Court	Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (list)	29 December 2024 (261 days)	31 October 2027 (−2 years, 45 days)	2 years, 307 days			Punjab and Haryana	30 September 2011 (13 years, 351 days) 7 Since 16 September 2025
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court	Arun Palli (list)	16 April 2025 (153 days)	17 September 2026 (−1 year, 1 day)	1 year, 155 days	Sanjiv Khanna		Punjab and Haryana	28 December 2013 (11 years, 262 days) 34 Since 16 September 2025	P. Sathasivam
Jharkhand High Court	Tarlok Singh Chauhan (list)	23 July 2025 (55 days)	8 January 2026 (−114 days)	170 days	B. R. Gavai		Himachal Pradesh	23 February 2014 (11 years, 205 days) 44 Since 18 September 2025
Karnataka High Court	Vibhu Bakhru (list)	19 July 2025 (59 days)	1 November 2028 (−3 years, 46 days)	3 years, 106 days			Delhi	17 April 2013 (12 years, 152 days) 19 Since 16 September 2025	Altamas Kabir
Kerala High Court	Nitin Madhukar Jamdar (list)	26 September 2024 (355 days)	9 January 2026 (−115 days)	1 year, 106 days	D. Y. Chandrachud		Bombay	23 January 2012 (13 years, 236 days) 11 Since 16 September 2025	S. H. Kapadia
Madhya Pradesh High Court	Sanjeev Sachdeva (list)	17 July 2025 (61 days)	25 December 2026 (−1 year, 100 days)	1 year, 162 days	B. R. Gavai		Delhi	17 April 2013 (12 years, 152 days) 18 Since 16 September 2025	Altamas Kabir
Madras High Court	Manindra Mohan Shrivastava (list)	6 February 2024 (1 year, 222 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 July 2025 (57 days)	5 March 2026 (−170 days)	2 years, 28 days Tenure in current HC 228 days	D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai		Chhattisgarh	10 December 2009 (15 years, 280 days) 2 Since 16 September 2025	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 (1 day)	18 July 2028 (−2 years, 306 days)	2 years, 308 days	B. R. Gavai		Madras	5 October 2016 (8 years, 346 days) 79 Since 18 September 2025	T. S. Thakur
Meghalaya High Court	Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew [†] (list)	6 September 2025 (10 days)	23 December 2028 (−3 years, 98 days)	3 years, 109 days	--		Meghalaya	18 November 2018 (6 years, 302 days) 198	Dipak Misra
Orissa High Court	Harish Tandon (list)	26 March 2025 (174 days)	15 November 2026 (−1 year, 60 days)	1 year, 235 days	Sanjiv Khanna		Calcutta	13 April 2010 (15 years, 156 days) 3 Since 16 September 2025	K. G. Balakrishnan
Patna High Court	Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri [†] (list)	29 August 2025 (18 days)	22 October 2025 (−36 days)	55 days	--		Karnataka	2 January 2015 (10 years, 257 days) 55	H. L. Dattu
Punjab and Haryana High Court	Sheel Nagu (list)	9 July 2024 (1 year, 69 days)	31 December 2026 (−1 year, 106 days)	2 years, 176 days	D. Y. Chandrachud		Madhya Pradesh	27 May 2011 (14 years, 112 days) 5 Since 16 September 2025	S. H. Kapadia
Rajasthan High Court	Kalpathi Rajendran Shriram (list)	27 September 2024 (354 days) Date of appointment in current HC 21 July 2025 (57 days)	27 September 2025 (−11 days)	1 year, 1 day Tenure in current HC 69 days	D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai		Bombay	21 June 2013 (12 years, 87 days) 23 Since 16 September 2025	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, 142 days) Date of appointment in current HC 12 October 2021 (3 years, 339 days)	14 December 2025 (−89 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	22 June 2006 (19 years, 86 days) 1 Since 27 October 2023	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, 152 days) Date of appointment in current HC 19 July 2025 (59 days)	6 July 2027 (−1 year, 293 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	24 January 2012 (13 years, 235 days) 12 Since 16 September 2025	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, 109 days) Date of appointment in current HC 22 July 2025 (56 days)	6 August 2028 (−2 years, 325 days)	5 years, 69 days Tenure in current HC 3 years, 16 days	D. Y. Chandrachud Nominated in current HC B. R. Gavai		Telangana	29 June 2012 (13 years, 79 days) 13 Since 16 September 2025		28th CJ of Himachal Pradesh From 30 May 2023 – 24 September 2024 (1 year, 118 days) 16th CJ of Jharkhand From 25 September 2024 – 21 July 2025 (300 days)
Uttarakhand High Court	Guhanathan Narendar (list)	26 December 2024 (264 days)	9 January 2026 (−115 days)	1 year, 15 days	D. Y. Chandrachud		Karnataka	2 January 2015 (10 years, 257 days) 54 Since 18 September 2025	H. L. Dattu

Key † 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)

16 September 2025 - Retirement of T. S. Sivagnanam (CJ of Calcutta) on 15 September 2025 (S.R. 2)

18 September 2025 - Retirement of Vivek Kumar Birla(Judge of Allahabad) on 17 September 2025 (S.R. 42)

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

1. "Rule of law index 2016". Justice Project. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
2. "Memorandum of procedure of appointment of Supreme Court Judges". Government of India . Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
3. ANI (14 May 2025). "Justice BR Gavai sworn in as 52nd Chief Justice of India". ThePrint. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
4. List of Chief Justice of the High Court (PDF). Government of India (Report). Retrieved 21 November 2016.