Acting Chief Justices appointed to three High Courts [Read Notifications]

The Central government has appointed Acting Chief Justices to three High Courts in view of the recent elevation of erstwhile Chief Justices of these High Courts to the Supreme Court yesterday.

One of the Acting Chief Justices so appointed i..e Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan for the Patna High Court, was recently recommended for a transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium, despite his request that the transfer be stayed.

The three notifications issued yesterday intimate the appointment of the following Acting Chief Justices.

Justices Sanjay Kumar Seth, now the senior-most judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court will perform the duties of Chief Justice, following the elevation of Chief Justice Hemant Gupta to the Supreme Court.

After his enrolment in 1981, Justice Seth practiced on the civil and Constitutional sides of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He has served as an Additional Advocate General for Madhya Pradesh. He was appointed as additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2003. He was made a permanent judge of the Court in January 2004.

Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan, senior-most judge of the Patna High Court will takeover as its Acting Chief Justice, in view of Chief Justice MR Shah’s appointment to the Supreme Court.

Justice Ranjan joined the Patna Bar in 1990. His areas of practice include Constitutional law, civil law, revenue law, criminal law and service law. He has served as an additional standing counsel in the Patna High Court from 1997 to 2004. In 2004, he was appointed as the Central government senior standing counsel. In 2005, he was appointed an Assistant Solicitor General. He was elevated as and additional judge of the Patna High Court in 2008, and appointed permanent judge in January 2010. 

Justice Subhasis Talapatra, senior most judge of the Tripura High Court will Act as its Chief Justice, consequent upon the elevation of Chief Justice Ajay Rastogi to the Supreme Court.

Justice Talapatra enrolled with the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh in 1990. He practiced primarily at the Agartala Bench of the Gauhati High Court. He has appeared in cases involving Constitutional, civil and criminal law. He was designated a senior advocate in December 2004. In 2011, he was sworn in as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court. In September 2013, he was made a permanent judge of the Tripura High Court. 

Read the Notifications: