Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal takes oath as Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice

Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on Monday.

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at Lok Bhawan in Jaipur. Chief Secretary V. Srinivas and other senior officials were also present at the event.

Agrawal's judicial career

Justice Agrawal previously served as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court. His appointment as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court followed a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium.

He was first appointed as an additional judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court in September 2013 and became a permanent judge in March 2016.

Before his elevation to the bench, Justice Agrawal served as the advocate general of Chhattisgarh.

Appointment follows concerns over HC administration

His appointment comes after a period of controversy surrounding the functioning of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and demands from lawyers for a permanent chief justice.

The Supreme Court Collegium recently recommended Justice Agrawal for the post of Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

The development followed a letter written by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. In the letter, Mehta raised concerns over Justice Sharma's administrative performance and sought the appointment of a permanent chief justice for the Rajasthan High Court.

Justice Mehta had levelled allegations against Justice Sharma regarding his administrative functioning and called for a permanent appointment to head the high court.

The lawyers' association in Jodhpur had also raised similar concerns and demanded the appointment of a permanent chief justice.