Supreme Court Collegium recommends Justice SA Dharmadhikari as Madras High Court Chief Justice

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Kerala High Court Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as the next Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

The appointment will be with effect from March 6 consequent upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava on March 5.

Justice Dharmadhikari is currently serving as a judge of the Kerala High Court and has his parent High Court is Madhya Pradesh.

The recommendation was made at the Collegium meeting held on February 26, 2026.

Born on July 8, 1966 in Raipur, Justice Dharmadhikari began his legal career in 1992. He practiced at the Madhya Pradesh High Court for over 24 years in civil, criminal and constitutional law.

He served as Standing Counsel for the Union of India from 2000 to 2015 and represented the Income Tax Department, Reserve Bank of India, Central Excise (as Senior Standing Counsel) and several Public Sector Undertakings.

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

He was transferred to the Kerala High Court on April 23, 2025.

Alongside the recommendation, the Collegium also announced a policy decision aimed at strengthening the efficiency and quality of administration of justice by ensuring smoother leadership transitions in High Courts.

Under the new policy, a judge proposed to take over as Chief Justice of a High Court may be transferred well in advance—preferably two months before the vacancy arises—so that the incoming Chief Justice becomes familiar with the functioning and administrative affairs of the High Court before formally assuming charge.

The Collegium said that the move is intended to ensure that the recommendee becomes “well conversant with the affairs of that High Court and assumes charge of the office of Chief Justice on the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice.”

[Read Collegium Recommendation]