The Centre on Thursday notified the appointment and transfer of Chief Justices of several High Courts, acting on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, Justice Soumen Sen, currently Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, has been transferred to the Kerala High Court as its Chief Justice.
The transfer, made under Article 222 of the Constitution, follows the retirement of the incumbent Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar on January 9, 2026.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice Soumen Sen, Chief Justice, Meghalaya High Court, and to direct him to assume charge as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court,” the notification said.
In a separate order, the Centre appointed Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, a judge of the Orissa High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
The appointment, made under Article 217 of the Constitution, will take effect from the date he assumes charge.
Another notification cleared the appointment of Justice Revati Prashant Mohite Dere, a judge of the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
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Her appointment follows the transfer of Justice Soumen Sen to the Kerala High Court.
The appointments and transfers stem from recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium at its meeting held on December 18, 2025, which proposed a series of elevations and transfers of Chief Justices across High Courts.
However, two collegium recommendations are yet to be notified by the Centre.
These include the proposal to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court following the retirement of Chief Justice G. Narendar on January 9, and the proposal to appoint Justice M.S. Sonak of the Bombay High Court as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
