NT Reporter
Panaji
Goa’s Justice Mahesh S Sonak, a senior judge of the Bombay High Court, has been recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium to be the next Chief Justice of the Jharkhand
High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday recommended the appointment of five High Court judges as Chief Justices of different High Courts to fill vacancies arising from retirements and transfers.
Justice Sonak has been recommended for appointment as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. The post is set to fall vacant due to the retirement of the present Chief Justice on January
8, 2026.
The collegium headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant took the decision at a meeting held during the day.
Justice Sonak hails from Goa and completed his education here. He enrolled as an advocate in 1988 and practised at the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court and was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court in 2013.
It may be noted that Justice Sonak made headlines as the first person in Goa to register a ‘living will’ in early June 2024, setting a major precedent as Goa became the first state to formally implement the Supreme Court guidelines for passive euthanasia and end-of-life care.
He executed the document with witnesses and a gazetted officer, paving the way for others to use these directives for medical care decisions when they can’t communicate.
Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964. He completed school education from Don Bosco High School, Panaji, did B.Sc from Dhempe College of Arts & Science, and LLB from MS College of Law, Panaji (affiliated to Bombay University) in first class.
He was awarded Portuguese Language Diploma by Xavier Centre of Historical Research.
Enrolled as an advocate on the rolls of Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa in October 1988, Justice Sonak practised at Panaji bench of the High Court of Judicature, Bombay in civil and constitutional law, labour and service law, environmental law, commercial and tax laws, company law and public interest litigations.
Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court has been elevated to Uttarakhand after retirement of the incumbent chief justice on January 9.
Justice Revati P Mohite Dere of the Bombay High Court has been recommended to Meghalaya.
Justice A Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court has been elevated to Sikkim and Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo from Orissa to Patna High Court as Chief Justice.
In another decision, the collegium recommended the transfer of Justice Soumen Sen, Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court after retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice on January 9. (With inputs from PTI)
