Justice Dharmadhikari appointed Madras HC chief justice

Kochi: Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, a judge of the Kerala high court, has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Madras HC. The Union govt on Thursday issued the notification in this regard, following the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium.Following the notification, a full court reference was held at the Kerala HC on his transfer and elevation as the Chief Justice of the Madras HC. Kerala HC Chief Justice Soumen Sen presided over the function held at 5pm. Additional advocate general Ashok M Cherian and Peeyus A Kottam, president of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association, delivered addresses on the occasion. During his farewell speech, Justice Dharmadhikari appreciated the vigilance of Kerala's civil society, which, he said, strictly scrutinises every administrative decision.Justice Dharmadhikari, originally a judge of the Madhya Pradesh HC, was transferred to the Kerala HC on April 23, 2025. He was born in Raipur and obtained a bachelor's degree in commerce and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Nagpur University. He enrolled as an advocate at the Madhya Pradesh HC, Jabalpur bench, in 1992. During his legal career, he served as standing counsel for the Union of India from 2000 to 2015. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh HC in 2016 and was appointed a permanent Judge in 2018.