Guwahati, July 21 Justice Ashutosh Kumar took oath as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on Monday. The oath was administered by the Governor of Assam, Lakshman Prasad Acharya.
The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries.
Taking to X, CM Sarma wrote, “Attended the oath taking ceremony of Justice Ashutosh Kumar, who has been sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court. My best wishes for his tenure.”
Justice Ashutosh Kumar last served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court before being appointed as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court.
His elevation was part of a series of high-level judicial appointments and transfers announced by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice recently.
Justice Kumar’s appointment fills the vacancy created after Justice Vijay Bishnoi was elevated to the Supreme Court and took office on May 30. Since then, Justice Lanusungkum Jamir has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, which has jurisdiction over Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
The government’s notification also included four other Chief Justice appointments across various High Courts. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, who was the Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, was confirmed as its permanent Chief Justice. Justice Vibhu Bakhru of the Delhi High Court was elevated to head the Karnataka High Court. Additionally, Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi was named Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, succeeding Justice Ashutosh Kumar, while Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan of the Himachal Pradesh High Court would now serve as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
The appointments follow recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium in May, aimed at filling key judicial vacancies and streamlining judicial leadership across states.
In a related development, the Law Ministry also announced the transfer of four Chief Justices. Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava has been moved from the Rajasthan High Court to the Madras High Court. Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was being transferred from Tripura to the Telangana High Court, while Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao is moving from Jharkhand to Tripura. Justice K.R. Shriram, currently at the Madras High Court, will take over as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
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