SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, a senior judge of the Rajasthan High Court, for appointment as the next Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The recommendation was made at a meeting of the Collegium held on August 31. The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is currently functioning under an Acting Chief Justice.
Justice Bhati was elevated as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court on November 16, 2016. He has dealt with cases relating to writ jurisdiction, service matters, revenue, elections, mining, education, Panchayati Raj, criminal law and public interest litigation.
Before joining the Bench, Justice Bhati served as Additional Advocate General for the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur from October 13, 2008, to December 29, 2008, and again from January 6, 2014, until his elevation.
During his legal career, he also served as a panel lawyer for the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Rajasthan Labour Department and Ayurved Department. He represented the Reserve Bank of India, Jai Narain Vyas University and other institutions, besides serving as Standing Counsel for the Indian Railways for 16 years.
Justice Bhati was a member of the Bar Council of Rajasthan between 2009 and 2015 and served as President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association from 2011 to 2013. He was also General Secretary of the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association in 2001.
He served as a visiting faculty member at the Faculty of Law, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, from 1997 to 2016 and later taught at the National Law University, Jodhpur.
At the same meeting, the Collegium also recommended Justice Sanjay K Agrawal of the Chhattisgarh High Court as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court and Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje of the Gujarat High Court as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The recommendations will now move through the formal appointment process.
