Supreme Court collegium recommends Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari as next Chief Justice of Madras HC

Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava is due to retire from service on March 5, 2026. Hence, to take steps in advance for filling up the expected vacancy, the Supreme Court collegium has recommended Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, now serving in the Kerala High Court, as the next Chief Justice of Madras High Court.

Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Justice Dharmadhikari was born on July 8, 1966 at Raipur and obtained his bachelor’s degree in commerce and law from the Nagpur University. He began his practice as an advocate at the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur in 1992 and was a standing counsel for the Centre for about 15 years beginning from 2000 to 2015.

He had represented the Income Tax department, Reserve Bank of India and several other institutions. He was elevated as an additional judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on April 7, 2016 and made a permanent judge of the High Court on March 17, 2018. He was transferred to the Kerala High Court and assumed office on April 23, 2025. He is now the fifth judge in seniority at Kerala.

The outgoing Chief Justice Shrivastava hails from Bilaspur in Chattisgarh. Born on March 6, 1964, he was a gold medalist while obtaining his law degree from K.R. Law College in Bilaspur. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh on October 5, 1987, before the State was bifurcated to create the State of Chattisgarh in 2000, and began practising both at the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Raipur district court.

He too was a standing counsel for institutions for the income tax department and was designated as a senior advocate on January 31, 2005. He was elevated as a judge of Chattisgarh High Court on December 10, 2009 and traferred to the Rajasthan High Court in October 2021. From there, he was transferred to the Madras High Court and assumed office as its 54th Chief Justice on July 21, 2025.

After the President accepts the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation and issues a warrant of appointment, Justice Dharmadhikari would be swon in as the 55th Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.