SC recommends Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati as Chief Justice of J&K and Ladakh HC

01/09/2026

JAMMU, Aug 31: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Rajasthan High Court Judge Dr Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The recommendation was made at the meeting of the Supreme Court Collegium held on August 31, 2026. In the same set of recommendations, Justice Sanjay K Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court has been recommended as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, while Gujarat High Court Judge Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje has been recommended as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Collegium recommendations involve appointments of Chief Justices to three High Courts and come amid a series of changes in the leadership of High Courts following retirements, transfers and elevations.
Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati was born on September 21, 1970, and enrolled as an advocate in 1992. He holds BA and LL.B degrees, an LL.M in Mercantile Law and a Ph.D. on "Promotion & Seniority in Public Employment, its Changing Dimensions and Role of Supreme Court".
He was elevated as a Judge of the Rajas-than High Court on November 16, 2016.
Before his elevation, Justice Bhati practised primarily at the Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, with extensive experience in writ jurisdiction, service matters, public interest litigation, elections, revenue, mining, education, Panchayati Raj, family and criminal matters.
He served as Additional Advocate General, Rajasthan, at the Jodhpur Bench from October 13 to December 29, 2008, and again from January 6, 2014, until his elevation to the Bench.
During his legal career, he served as panel lawyer for several government departments and institutions, including Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, the Labour Department and Ayurveda Department of the Rajasthan government. He also represented the Reserve Bank of India, Jai Narain Vyas University and other bodies and served as Standing Counsel for Indian Railways for 16 years.
Justice Bhati was elected Member of the Bar Council of Rajasthan from 2009 to 2015. He served as President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association from 2011 to 2013 and as General Secretary of the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association in 2001.
He is also a trained mediator of the Rajasthan High Court and has been associated with legal education, having served as visiting faculty at the Faculty of Law, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, for 19 years and at the National Law University, Jodhpur, for a year.
Apart from his judicial and academic career, Justice Bhati has interests in adventure and sports activities. He is an accomplished horse rider, swimmer, shooter, solo glider pilot and parasailor and has participated in several adventure activities through the NCC. He holds A, B and C NCC certificates.
He has participated in national conferences and television debates on issues concerning the administration of justice and has been a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association since 1992.

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