Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur appointed Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh HC

VIJAYAWADA: Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium comprising the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Sanjiv Khanna recommended his name on Wednesday. Justice Thakur is currently serving as a judge in the Bombay High Court.

The Office of the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court fell vacant on May 19, upon the elevation of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra to the Supreme Court. Post that, Justice Akula Venkata Sesha, senior-most puisne judge of the High Court, was appointed the Acting Chief Justice.

Justice Thakur was enrolled as an advocate on October 18, 1989 with the Bar Council of Delhi and subsequently with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir. He was designated as senior advocate in 2011. Justice Thakur was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir on March 8, 2013, and is now the senior-most judge in his parent High Court He was transferred to the Bombay High Court on June 10, 2022.

Earlier this year on February 9, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Justice Thakur’s name for elevation as Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court which has been pending with the Government. The Collegium noted that Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur is fit and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court. It added that on appointment of Justice Thakur, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court would get representation amongst the Chief Justices of the High Courts.

“In view of the above, the Collegium, in supersession of its recommendation dated February 9, 2023, resolves to recommend that Mr Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh,” the Collegium said.