The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. He is currently serving as a judge of the Kerala High Court, with his parent High Court being the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The recommendation was made during a collegium meeting held on February 26, following the impending retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava on March 5.
Alongside the recommendation, the Collegium also announced a policy decision aimed at improving judicial administration. Under the new approach, a judge proposed to be appointed as Chief Justice may be transferred to the concerned High Court about two months before the vacancy arises. This is intended to help the judge familiarise himself with the court’s functioning and administrative responsibilities before formally assuming charge.
However, this policy will not apply in Justice Dharmadhikari’s case due to the immediate retirement of the sitting Chief Justice.
Justice Dharmadhikari was part of a division bench of the Kerala High Court that cleared the way for the release of the film The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond by staying a single-judge order that had put the screening on hold for 15 days.
With the Collegium’s recommendation now made, formal approval from the Centre is awaited before his appointment as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court is notified.