Collegium Signal: Justice Dharamadhikari Set to Assume Charge as Madras High Court Chief Justice

(Judicial Quest News Network)

New Delhi: 27,February,2026- The Supreme Court of India Collegium has formally recommended the appointment of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharamadhikari as the next Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, marking a significant development in the higher judiciary’s institutional leadership structure.

The recommendation was made during the Collegium meeting held on February 26, 2026, and the appointment is proposed to take effect from March 6, 2026, following the superannuation of the incumbent Chief Justice Maninder Mohan Srivastava on March 5, 2026.

Justice S.A. Dharamadhikari is presently serving as a Judge of the Kerala High Court, where he has earned a reputation for jurisprudential clarity, constitutional discipline, and judicial restraint. His parent High Court is the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where his judicial journey was originally anchored.

Judicial Career and Professional Trajectory

Justice Dharamadhikari’s legal career spans several decades of distinguished service in both the Bar and the Bench:

• He began his professional journey as a practicing advocate in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where he handled a wide spectrum of cases involving constitutional law, service jurisprudence, criminal law, administrative law, and civil disputes.
• His advocacy career was marked by consistent appearances in complex constitutional and statutory matters, earning him professional recognition for legal precision and court craft.
• He was elevated as a Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, where he adjudicated significant matters involving public interest litigation, governance accountability, state regulatory frameworks, and individual liberties.
• Subsequently, he was transferred to the Kerala High Court, where his judicial tenure has been characterised by reasoned verdicts, doctrinal clarity, and firm adherence to constitutional values.
• On the Bench, Justice Dharamadhikari has delivered judgments across diverse domains including fundamental rights enforcement, environmental jurisprudence, service law disputes, criminal justice administration, and constitutional interpretation.

Known for his measured judicial temperament, institutional integrity, and constitutional fidelity, Justice Dharamadhikari has maintained a reputation for balancing judicial activism with judicial discipline, a quality that has strengthened confidence in the rule of law.

Collegium’s Institutional Endorsement

The Collegium’s recommendation reflects a process of seniority assessment, inter-se merit evaluation, institutional suitability, and administrative leadership capacity, consistent with established judicial appointment conventions. His elevation to the helm of the Madras High Court is viewed as part of a broader judicial continuity mechanism aimed at preserving constitutional governance, judicial independence, and institutional stability.

Upon assumption of office, Justice Dharamadhikari will lead one of the country’s oldest and most constitutionally significant High Courts, entrusted with the administration of justice across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, overseeing a vast judicial infrastructure and complex docket of constitutional, civil, criminal, and commercial litigation.

The formal appointment will follow the constitutional process upon executive concurrence, completing the collegium recommendation cycle.