The Madhya Pradesh High Court is expected to see an increase in its judicial strength, with 13 names—comprising 8 advocates and 5 judicial officers—recommended to the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as judges. The final decision on these appointments now rests with the Collegium.
Currently, the sanctioned strength of the Madhya Pradesh High Court is 53 judges. However, only 33 judges are in position following the retirement of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi on June 30, leaving 20 posts vacant. Despite the appointment of four new judges earlier this year, the court continues to face a significant shortage.
Further attrition is anticipated in August when two more judges—Justice Dinesh Kumar Paliwal (retiring on August 9) and Justice P.N. Singh (retiring on August 13)—are due to demit office. Justice Achal Kumar Paliwal is also set to retire on December 25, 2025.
If the Supreme Court Collegium approves the recommended names, the number of judges in the Madhya Pradesh High Court will increase and the vacancy count is expected to decline, thereby improving judicial efficiency.
Names Recommended:
From the Advocate Quota (8):
- Manikant Sharma
- Pushpendra Yadav
- Jai Kumar Pillai
- Nidhi Patankar
- Ajay Nirankari
- Amit Lahoti
- Anand Singh
- Himanshu Joshi
From the Judicial Services Quota (5):
- Rajesh Kumar Gupta
- Alok Awasthi
- Rajesh Chandra Singh Bisen
- B.P. Sharma
- Pradeep Mittal
The recommendations come at a crucial time, with nearly 38% of the High Court’s sanctioned posts lying vacant. The timely appointments are expected to strengthen the bench and support the disposal of pending cases.
