Srinagar: Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati was sworn in on Wednesday as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, with Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administering the oath of office in Srinagar.
Bhati’s swearing-in followed his appointment by President Droupadi Murmu on September 5 as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He succeeded Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who had been serving as Acting Chief Justice since June 2.
The oath was administered by Saxena, who is presently also discharging the functions of the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor during the absence on leave of incumbent LG Manoj Sinha. The President appointed Saxena to hold the additional responsibility through a September 8 communique.
The arrangement was necessitated by Sinha’s absence. Sinha is currently in the United States and had addressed the IIT (BHU) Global Alumni Meet in Chicago on Monday. A J&K Lok Bhawan official said that Sinha had been invited to the event as an alumnus of BHU and that, since he was away and the new Chief Justice had to be sworn in, Saxena was appointed to discharge the J&K LG’s functions until Sinha returns.
Saxena’s administration of the oath marks the first time since Ladakh became a Union Territory in August 2019 that its Lieutenant Governor has administered the oath to the Chief Justice of the common High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Traditionally, the J&K Lieutenant Governor has administered the oath to a newly appointed Chief Justice of the High Court.
The ceremony was held at the Shalimar Convention Centre at SKUAST Kashmir in Srinagar. Srinagar Traffic Police had imposed restrictions around the venue from 10 am to noon in view of the ceremony.
Justice Bhati was recommended for the Chief Justice’s post by the Supreme Court Collegium on August 31. He was elevated as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court in November 2016 and had practised primarily in writ jurisdiction before his elevation, including matters relating to service laws, public interest litigation, elections, revenue, mining, education, Panchayati Raj and criminal law.
The swearing-in comes days after the Union Territory of Ladakh (Sitting of Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh) Regulation, 2026, came into force on September 5. The regulation provides for a dedicated bench of the common High Court to sit in Ladakh. [KNT]
