Justice Pushpendra Bhati sworn in as Chief Justice of J&K, Ladakh High Court

Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati was sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at a function held at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar on Wednesday (September 9, 2026).

The oath of office was administered to Dr. Justice Bhati by Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of UT of Ladakh with additional charge of UT of Jammu & Kashmir. 

Several sitting and former Chief Justices and Judges from several High Courts across the country, including Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Allahabad, attended the event.

Justice Bhati, who was born on September 21, 1970, practised at the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur and was elevated as a Judge of the Rajasthan High Court on November 16, 2016. Justice Bhati also served as Additional Advocate General for the State of Rajasthan from October 13, 2008, to December 29, 2008, and again from January 6, 2014.

Justice Bhati holds a bachelor’s degree in law, a master’s degree in Mercantile Law and a doctorate. He has also served as visiting faculty at the Faculty of Law, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, for 19 years from 1997 to 2016 and as visiting faculty at the National Law University, Jodhpur, for one year. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Rajasthan Chapter of the Indian Law Institute.