Kerala HC judge Justice Dharmadhikari to be Madras HC Chief Justice

Kochi: The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari of the Kerala high court as the Chief Justice of the Madras high court, consequent upon the retirement of the present Chief Justice, Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, on March 5.In its statement, the collegium further noted that it has adopted a policy whereby a judge proposed to take over a high court as its Chief Justice may be transferred well in advance — preferably two months before the vacancy arises — so that the judge becomes well conversant with the affairs of that high court and assumes charge of the office upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice. The statement added that, accordingly, the collegium has resolved to recommend the transfer of Justice Lisa Gill, a judge of the Punjab and Haryana HC, to the Andhra Pradesh HC and her appointment as the Chief Justice of that high court with effect from the date of the retirement of the present Chief Justice, Dhiraj Singh Thakur, on April 24. The matter is now for the Union govt to take an appropriate decision.Justice Dharmadhikari, originally a judge of Madhya Pradesh HC, was transferred to 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's 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 Madhya Pradesh HC in 2016 and was appointed a permanent judge in 2018.