Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 2: The Central government on Friday notified the appointment of Justice M S Sonak, a judge of the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. He will assume office following the retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan on January 8,.

Justice Sonak’s appointment comes in line with the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium on December 18, 2025. Chief Justice Chauhan is set to demit office on attaining the age of superannuation.

Born on November 28, 1964, Justice Sonak completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School, Panaji, Goa. He obtained his BSc degree from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and later completed his LLB from M S College of Law, Panaji, affiliated to Bombay University, securing First Class.

He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in October 1988 and practised at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court. His areas of practice included civil and constitutional law, labour and service matters, environmental law, commercial and tax laws, company law and public interest litigation.

During his legal career, Justice Sonak also served as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central government and as Special Counsel for the state government, apart from representing several statutory corporations. He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.

The appointment is part of a broader reshuffle of Chief Justices of various High Courts cleared by the Centre based on recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. On Thursday, the Centre also notified the appointment and transfer of Chief Justices of the Kerala, Patna and Meghalaya High Courts.

Meanwhile, the Collegium’s proposal to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court is yet to be acted upon by the Centre.