Justice V Kameswar Rao Takes Charge as Patna High Court Chief Justice

Justice V Kameswar Rao was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on Sunday by Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Patna.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and other dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Born on August 7, 1965, Justice Rao completed his graduation with honours in Geography from Delhi University in 1987 and obtained his LLB from the university in 1990. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in March 1991.

Before joining the judiciary, Rao practised before the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal in New Delhi. He was designated a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court in 2010.

Justice Rao was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on August 17, 2013. He became a Permanent Judge of the High Court on March 18, 2015.

In June 2024, he was transferred to the Karnataka High Court. During his tenure there, he also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.Justice Rao returned to the Delhi High Court in July 2025. He continued as a judge of the Delhi High Court before being appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.

As Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, Rao will head the state's highest judicial institution and preside over matters before the court. His appointment comes after more than three decades since he enrolled as an advocate in 1991.

The Patna High Court is the constitutional court for Bihar and deals with civil, criminal, constitutional and other matters arising from the state.

Justice Rao's legal career has included practice before courts and the Central Administrative Tribunal, followed by judicial assignments in the Delhi and Karnataka High Courts.

The oath ceremony formally marked his assumption of office as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on September 13, 2026.His judicial assignments included Delhi and Karnataka High Courts.