New Delhi, Jan 2 (NationPress) - The Central Government has officially announced the appointment of Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak, a respected judge from the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. This decision follows the upcoming retirement of the current Chief Justice on January 8.

A notification released by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice indicated that the President, exercising constitutional powers and in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), has approved Justice Sonak's elevation as Chief Justice.

This appointment aligns with the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium, led by CJI Surya Kant, who had previously proposed Justice Sonak's advancement to Chief Justice due to the impending retirement of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan.

Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964, and completed his education at Don Bosco High School in Panaji, Goa. He earned his B.Sc. from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and his LL.B. from M.S. College of Law, Panaji, affiliated with Bombay University.

Before his elevation to the Bench, Justice Sonak registered as an advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in October 1988, practicing at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court in areas such as civil and constitutional law, labor law, environmental law, and public interest litigations.

In his legal career, he served as the Additional Standing Counsel for the Central government and as Special Counsel for the State government and statutory corporations.

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.

On the same day, the Centre also announced the appointments and transfers of Chief Justices in the High Courts of Kerala, Patna, and Meghalaya. However, the Collegium's recommendation to appoint Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta from the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court is still pending action by the Centre.