The Central government on Thursday approved the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

Union Minister in charge of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the appointment.

Justice Dharmadhikari's appointment comes on the day of retirement of the incumbent Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava (March 5).

Justice Dharmadhikari was serving as a judge of the Kerala High Court, when the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his appointment as Madras High Court's next Chief Justice in a meeting held on February 26, 2026.

His parent High Court is the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Born on July 8, 1966, in Raipur, Justice Dharmadhikari began his legal career in 1992. He practised before the Madhya Pradesh High Court for over two decades, handling civil, criminal and constitutional matters.

During his time at the Bar, he served as Standing Counsel for the Union of India from 2000 to 2015. He also represented several government bodies and public sector institutions, including the Income Tax Department, the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Excise Department as Senior Standing Counsel.

Justice Dharmadhikari was appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on April 7, 2016, and was confirmed as a permanent judge on March 17, 2018.

He was transferred to the Kerala High Court on April 23, 2025, before being elevated as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.