SC Collegium recommends Justice Pushpendra Bhati as new CJ of J&K HC

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 31: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati, Senior Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Collegium, in its meeting held today, has also recommended Justice Sanjay K Agrawal, Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, and Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje, Judge of the Gujarat High Court, as Chief Justices of the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh High Courts, respectively.

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Justice Bhati, who is currently serving as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, is a senior judge with extensive judicial experience. He was elevated to the Bench on November 16, 2016. His elevation comes at a time when the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is functioning under an Acting Chief Justice.

His areas of specialization include Writ Jurisdiction (Service & Misc.), Revenue, Election, Mining, Education, Panchayati Raj, Criminal, and Miscellaneous matters, including Public Interest Litigation.

He served as Additional Advocate General for the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur from 13.10.2008 to 29.12.2008 and from 06.01.2014 until his elevation. He was also a Panel Lawyer for the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Labour Department (Government of Rajasthan), and Ayurved Department (Government of Rajasthan).

Additionally, he represented the Reserve Bank of India, Jai Narain Vyas University (Jodhpur), and several other bodies, and served as Standing Counsel for the Indian Railways for 16 years.

Justice Bhati was elected as a Member of the Bar Council of Rajasthan from 2009 to 2015, President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association from 2011 to 2013, and General Secretary of the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association in 2001. He was a Visiting Faculty member at his alma mater, the Faculty of Law at Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, for 19 years (1997 to 2016) and a Visiting Faculty member at National Law University, Jodhpur, for one year.

He is a Member of the Executive Committee of the Indian Law Institute (Rajasthan Chapter) and has been a Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association since 1992. He is an accomplished horse rider, swimmer, shooter, solo glider pilot, and parasailor, having participated in numerous adventure activities with the NCC.