Kerala High Court judge Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari has been appointed Chief Justice of Madras High Court. On the recommendation of the collegium, on Thursday (March 5, 2026), the government approved his name for Chief Justice. Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal has made a post regarding this on social media platform X.
Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari was earlier the judge of Kerala High Court. After the retirement of the current Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Manindra Mohan Srivastava, on March 5, he was given this responsibility. In the post, Arjun Ram Meghwal said that President Draupadi Murmu, after consulting the country’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, has appointed Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari as the Chief Justice of Madras High Court. This appointment will be effective from the date of his assuming office.
The Collegium of the Supreme Court, in its meeting on 26 February, had recommended Justice Dharmadhikari to be made the Chief Justice of Madras High Court. The collegium was headed by CJI Surya Kant of India. The parent court of Justice Dharmadhikari is Madhya Pradesh High Court. However, at present he is appointed in the Kerala High Court.
Justice Dharmadhikari, born on July 9, 1966 in Raipur, was appointed Additional Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in April 2016. Later on 17 March 2018, he was made a permanent judge. Before becoming a judge, he worked as a lawyer in Madhya Pradesh High Court for about 24 years. During this period, he practiced in civil, criminal and constitutional matters.
Last year, he was transferred from Madhya Pradesh High Court to Kerala High Court. In April 2025, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice had issued a notification stating that after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the President has approved his transfer under Article 222 of the Constitution.
In a statement issued on the Supreme Court website, it was said that the Supreme Court Collegium, in its meetings held on March 20, March 24 and April 3, 2025, had recommended the transfer of Justice Sushruta Arvind Dharmadhikari from Madhya Pradesh High Court to Kerala High Court.
