The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Delhi High Court Judge Justice V Kameswar Rao as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
The recommendation was taken at the Collegium’s meeting held on August 6, 2026. Justice Sudhir Singh is presently discharging the functions of Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
Justice Kameswar Rao, who is presently serving on the Delhi High Court, brings more than three decades of legal and judicial experience to the proposed office. He completed his LL.B. from the University of Delhi in 1990 and enrolled as an advocate in March 1991.
During his practice at the Bar, Justice Rao appeared before the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal in New Delhi. He also represented matters before other High Courts, including the Madras High Court and the Port Blair Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Rao was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in April 2013 and was subsequently confirmed as a permanent Judge in March 2015.
In 2024, he was transferred to the Karnataka High Court. During his tenure there, he was entrusted with the responsibilities of Acting Chief Justice in May 2025. He was subsequently repatriated to the Delhi High Court and resumed office there on July 21, 2025.
The Collegium’s recommendation comes against the backdrop of vacancies at the level of Chief Justice across several High Courts. The Supreme Court Collegium has, in its latest round of recommendations, proposed appointments to the top judicial offices of four High Courts. Justice Kameswar Rao has been recommended for Patna, while other recommendations concern the Calcutta, Bombay, and Punjab and Haryana High Courts.
The Patna High Court currently has 43 Judges against a sanctioned strength of 53, leaving a vacancy of 10 judicial posts.
The Collegium’s recommendation is subject to consideration and approval by the Union Government, followed by the formal appointment process. Once notified and sworn in, Justice Kameswar Rao would assume the administrative and judicial responsibilities of Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
The recommendation also marks another significant transition in Justice Rao’s judicial career, following his earlier stint as Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and his subsequent return to his parent court, the Delhi High Court.
