Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Justice M.S. Sonak as Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Justice M.S. Sonak of the Bombay High Court as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Collegium held on December 18.

The Collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant. Justice Sonak’s appointment will take effect after the retirement of the current Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, on January 8, 2026.

Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964. He completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School, Panaji, and graduated with a B.Sc. degree from Dhempe College of Arts and Science. He obtained his law degree from M.S. College of Law, Panaji, and enrolled as an advocate in 1988.

He practised at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court and served as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central Government, Special Counsel for the State Government, and for various statutory bodies. In June 2013, he was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court.

Recently, Justice Sonak also became the first person in Goa to register a ‘living will’, also known as an advance medical directive. This document allows a person to state their wishes regarding medical treatment in case they are unable to communicate their decisions in the future. Goa became the first State in India to operationalise such directives.