SC Collegium recommends appointment of Justice Arun Palli as CJ of J&K and Ladakh High Court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, has recommended to the Centre that Justice Arun Palli be appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 4th April, 2025 has recommended appointment of Mr. Justice Arun Palli, Judge, High Court of Punjab and Haryana, as Chief Justice of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” said a statement uploaded on the website of the apex court on Saturday.
The incumbent Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is due to retire on April 9 at the age of 62. Justice Palli, the senior-most judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was elevated to the Bench in December 2013. He was appointed Additional Advocate General for Punjab on September 1, 2004, a position he held until March 2007. He was designated as a Senior Advocate on April 26, 2007. After completing the Bachelor of Laws from Chandigarh’s Panjab University, he commenced his legal practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court across diverse areas of law, including civil, criminal, constitutional, revenue, industrial, and labour law. He also appeared before the Supreme Court and, Delhi High Court and argued several important matters in the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
Justice Palli has also been serving as Executive Chairman of Haryana State Legal Service Authority since May 31, 2023, and was nominated as a Member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in October 2023, for a tenure of two years. His father, a Senior Advocate, served on the Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, retiring in 1998. Justice Palli’s great-grandfather, Lachchman Dass Palli and grandfather Lajpat Rai Palli were esteemed lawyers of the Patiala District Bar.