New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of four judges as Chief Justices of different High Courts, proposing new heads for the Bombay, Calcutta, Patna and Punjab & Haryana High Courts.
The recommendations were made at the Collegium meeting held on August 6, 2026, with the judges currently serving in senior positions in their respective High Courts.
The recommendations include Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi for the Bombay High Court, Justice Ravindra V Ghuge for the Calcutta High Court, Justice V Kameswar Rao for the Patna High Court and Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra for the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi Recommended as Bombay HC Chief Justice
The Collegium has recommended Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court as the next Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
Justice Tripathi is currently serving as a senior judge of the Allahabad High Court at its principal seat in Allahabad.
He completed his law degree from Lucknow University in 1990 and enrolled as an advocate on January 11, 1992. He primarily practised on the civil side.
Justice Tripathi served as Additional Chief Standing Counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh from October 2007. During his legal career, he also represented several government departments and development authorities, including the Kanpur Development Authority, Kanpur Nagar Nigam, Agra Development Authority and Moradabad Development Authority.
He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Allahabad High Court on September 27, 2013, and subsequently became a Permanent Judge on April 10, 2015.
Justice Ravindra V Ghuge Recommended as Calcutta HC Chief Justice
The Collegium has recommended Justice Ravindra V Ghuge of the Bombay High Court as the next Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Ghuge is currently serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. He assumed charge on June 2, 2026, following the elevation of then Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar to the Supreme Court.
Justice Ghuge completed his law education at Chh. Shahaji Law College, Kolhapur, and M.P. Law College, Aurangabad, in 1990. He joined the Bar the same year and practised before the Bombay High Court and Industrial and Labour Courts.
He initially represented workers and trade unions before expanding his practice to represent around 250 industries, including multinational corporations and major private-sector companies.
Justice Ghuge was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013, and was subsequently appointed as a permanent judge.
He has also served as a contributory professor for the LL.M. programme at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad.
Justice V Kameswar Rao Recommended as Patna HC Chief Justice
Justice V Kameswar Rao, currently a judge of the Delhi High Court, has been recommended as the next Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
The recommendation comes as Justice Sudhir Singh is serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
Justice Rao completed his B.A. (Honours) in Geography in 1987 and LL.B. in 1990 from the University of Delhi. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in March 1991.
During his legal career, he practised before the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal’s Principal Bench in New Delhi. He also appeared before the Madras High Court and the Port Blair Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court.
His areas of practice included service, labour, arbitration, constitutional and administrative law. He represented several PSUs, banks and autonomous bodies and was designated a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court in January 2010.
Justice Rao was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on April 17, 2013, and became a permanent judge on March 18, 2015.
He was transferred to the Karnataka High Court and assumed office on June 1, 2024. He subsequently served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court from May 30, 2025.
Justice Rao was later repatriated to the Delhi High Court and resumed office there on July 21, 2025.
Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra Recommended as Punjab & Haryana HC Chief Justice
The Collegium has recommended Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the next Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Mishra is currently serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. His recommendation was also made at the Collegium meeting held on August 6, 2026.
Justice Mishra completed his B.A. (Honours) in Economics from Kirori Mal College and obtained his LL.B. from the Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi.
He enrolled as an advocate on May 8, 1993, and primarily practised in civil, constitutional and service law. He was designated as a Senior Advocate in 2013.
Justice Mishra was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 3, 2014, and became a permanent judge on February 1, 2016.
He served at the Allahabad High Court until July 20, 2025, before being transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where he assumed office on July 21, 2025.
Following the elevation of then Chief Justice Sheel Nagu to the Supreme Court, Justice Mishra was appointed Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court with effect from June 1, 2026.
Four Key Recommendations at One Collegium Meeting
The four recommendations announced following the August 6 Collegium meeting mark a significant reshuffle at the leadership level of four major High Courts.
The proposed appointments are:
Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi — Bombay High Court
Justice Ravindra V Ghuge — Calcutta High Court
Justice V Kameswar Rao — Patna High Court
Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra — Punjab and Haryana High Court
The recommendations will now go through the subsequent appointment process before the judges formally assume charge as Chief Justices of the respective High Courts.
