The Central Government notified the appointment of seven advocates as judges of the Patna High Court. The appointments aim to strengthen judicial capacity, reduce vacancies, and address the growing backlog of pending cases, following recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium.
The Central Government notified the appointment of seven advocates as judges of the Patna High Court. The appointments are expected to provide considerable relief to the High Court, which has been functioning with a substantial shortage of judges and facing an increasing burden of pending cases.
The notification was issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice following the recommendations made earlier this year by the Supreme Court Collegium. The appointments form part of the continuing process of filling vacancies in constitutional courts across the country to ensure the efficient administration of justice and timely disposal of cases.
The appointments trace their origin to recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium in February 2026. The Collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India and comprising senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, had proposed the elevation of nine advocates to the Bench of the Patna High Court.
The recommendations were forwarded to the Central Government for consideration and approval in accordance with the constitutional process governing judicial appointments. After examining the proposals and completing the necessary consultations, the Union Government cleared seven of the nine recommended names.
However, the executive has chosen to notify only seven appointments at this stage, while keeping the recommendations concerning two advocates pending. No official explanation has yet been furnished regarding the exclusion of the remaining two names from the latest notification.
Three Advocates Appointed as Permanent Judges: Among the seven appointees, three advocates have been elevated directly as permanent judges of the Patna High Court. The advocates appointed as permanent judges are:
- Ranjan Kumar Jha
- Kumar Manish
- Raj Kumar
Four Appointed as Additional Judges: The Central Government has also appointed four advocates as additional judges of the Patna High Court. The advocates elevated as additional judges are:
- Rana Vikram Singh
- Vikash Kumar
- Girijish Kumar
- Alok Kumar
Two Recommended Names Yet to Receive Clearance : While seven names have been approved, the appointments of two advocates recommended by the Collegium remain pending. The advocates whose names have not been included in the latest notification are:
- Md Nadim Seraj
- Sanjeev Kumar
The reasons behind the decision to withhold these appointments have not been disclosed by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The appointments come at a time when the Patna High Court has been grappling with a significant shortage of judges. Prior to the latest appointments, the sanctioned strength of the Patna High Court stood at 53 judges. However, only 37 judges were serving on the Bench, leaving 16 positions vacant. The shortage represented nearly one-third of the court’s sanctioned strength and had become a matter of concern for litigants, lawyers, and judicial administrators alike.
With the appointment of the seven new judges, the working strength of the Patna High Court will rise from 37 to 44 judges. Consequently, the number of vacancies will reduce from 16 to 9. The appointments are expected to provide immediate relief by enabling the constitution of additional benches, increasing the number of matters heard daily, and accelerating the disposal of pending cases.
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