Centre notifies Justice Mahesh Sonak as Chief Justice of Jharkhand HC

New Delhi: Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak of the Bombay High Court has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, with the Centre issuing a formal notification on Friday.

The notification from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice stated that the President of India, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, approved Justice Sonak’s appointment under the provisions of the Constitution of India.

The decision follows the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium led by CJI Surya Kant, which proposed Justice Sonak’s elevation in anticipation of the retirement of incumbent Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan on January 8.

Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964, and completed his early education at Don Bosco High School, Panaji. He later earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and a law degree from M.S. College of Law, Panaji, affiliated with Bombay University.

He began his legal career in October 1988 after enrolling with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa. Practising primarily at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court, he dealt with a wide range of matters, including constitutional, civil, labour, service, environmental, tax, and company laws, along with public interest cases.

Justice Sonak also served as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central government and Special Counsel for the State government and statutory corporations. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.

On the same day, the Centre also notified appointments and transfers of Chief Justices in the Kerala, Patna, and Meghalaya High Courts. However, action is still awaited on the Collegium’s recommendation to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.

With inputs from IANS