Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, currently serving on the Kerala High Court bench, has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. He will assume office on March 6, 2026, succeeding incumbent Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava, who is set to retire on March 5.
The elevation marks a significant transition in the leadership of one of India’s oldest and busiest constitutional courts.
Spotlight From ‘The Kerala Story 2’ Hearing
Justice Dharmadhikari recently drew public attention as part of a two-judge division bench of the Kerala High Court hearing petitions related to the release of The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond. Sitting alongside Justice PV Balakrishnan, he heard an appeal challenging an interim order by a single judge that had stayed the film’s release for 15 days, as per a report on India Today.
During the late-evening proceedings, the bench questioned whether the single judge could entertain pleas that were essentially in the nature of a public interest litigation. Although the film’s producer sought urgent relief, the division bench reserved its verdict and did not issue any interim direction at the close of the hearing.
Legal Career Spanning 3 Decades
Born on July 8, 1966, in Raipur, Justice Dharmadhikari holds degrees in commerce and law from Nagpur University. He enrolled as an advocate in 1992 at the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur, where he represented key institutions including the Income Tax Department and the Reserve Bank of India.
He was appointed an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in April 2016 and confirmed as a permanent judge in March 2018, as per Zee News. In April 2025, he took oath as a judge of the Kerala High Court, expanding his judicial experience across states.
Leadership At A Crucial Juncture
His appointment as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court comes at a time when complex issues—ranging from free expression and digital governance to regulatory and constitutional disputes—are increasingly reaching the higher judiciary.
With over three decades of legal and judicial experience, Justice Dharmadhikari is set to preside over a court that handles a vast and diverse docket. His tenure is expected to shape key rulings in Tamil Nadu’s legal landscape while reinforcing the institutional continuity of one of the country’s most prominent High Courts.
