JAMMU, Sep 1: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati, senior judge of the Rajasthan High Court, as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The recommendation was made at the Collegium meeting held on Monday. It also proposed Justice Sanjay K Agrawal, a judge 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.
Justice Bhati was elevated as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court on November 16, 2016. His proposed elevation comes as the J&K and Ladakh High Court is currently functioning under an Acting Chief Justice.
Over the course of his judicial career, Justice Bhati has dealt with a wide range of matters, including writ jurisdiction, revenue, elections, mining, education, Panchayati Raj, criminal cases and public interest litigation.
Before his elevation to the Bench, he served as Additional Advocate General for the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur during different periods and represented several government departments, public sector bodies and institutions. He also served as Standing Counsel for the Indian Railways for 16 years.
Justice Bhati was a member of the Bar Council of Rajasthan from 2009 to 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 taught as visiting faculty at the Faculty of Law, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, for 19 years and also served as visiting faculty at National Law University, Jodhpur.
Justice Bhati has been a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association since 1992 and is associated with the Indian Law Institute's Rajasthan Chapter. He is also known for his interest in adventure activities, including horse riding, swimming, shooting, gliding and parasailing.
