14 New Judges Appointed to Delhi, J&K, Jharkhand and Karnataka High Courts

The President has appointed 14 judicial officers as Judges and Additional Judges to the Delhi, J&K and Ladakh, Jharkhand and Karnataka High Courts, according to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The appointments were made in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

The Delhi High Court has received seven appointments. Nivedita Anil Sharma and Nisha Sahay Saxena have been appointed as Judges, while Sanjay Sharma, Bharat Parashar, Dr Aditi Choudhary, Dinesh Bhatt and Arun Bhardwaj have been appointed as Additional Judges.

Yash Paul Bourney has been appointed as a Judge of the J&K and Ladakh High Court.

The Jharkhand High Court has received three appointments. Manoj Prasad, Akhil Kumar and Ram Sharma have been appointed as Judges.

In the Karnataka High Court, Usharani, K.S. Bharath Kumar and Nerale V. Bhavani have been appointed as Additional Judges.

The appointments cover both Judges and Additional Judges, with the designation varying across the four High Courts.

The Ministry said the appointments were made following consultation with the Chief Justice of India. The appointments have been notified by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.

Under the constitutional framework, High Court judges are appointed by the President of India. The Constitution also provides for the appointment of Additional Judges to High Courts under specified circumstances.

The latest appointments come across four High Courts Delhi, J&K and Ladakh, Jharkhand and Karnataka and include judicial officers being appointed to both regular and additional positions.

The Delhi High Court appointments comprise the largest group, with seven judicial officers being appointed. The J&K and Ladakh High Court has received one appointment, while Jharkhand and Karnataka have received three appointments each.

The appointments were announced through a PIB release dated September 19, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The 14 appointments bring judicial officers into the four High Courts in different capacities, with the respective courts receiving Judges or Additional Judges as specified in the notification.