Justice Sanjay Agrawal Takes Charge As Rajasthan CJ

Justice Sanjay K Agrawal has assumed charge as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court and administered the oath of office ceremony on Monday in a ceremony organized at Lok Bhavan. After administering the oath of office ceremony, Justice Sanjay K Agrawal put his signature on the letter of appointment that has been granted by the President. The ceremony had the presence of several top-ranking state functionaries, namely the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy Chief Ministers, Ms. Diya Kumari and Mr. Prem Chand Bairwa, along with other state ministers, Chief Secretary V Srinivas, and Judges of the Rajasthan High Court.

A Post Marked By Controversy

Justice Agrawal has assumed this role amid a troubled period for the High Court. He had served as a judge at the Chhattisgarh High Court. He briefly served as the chief justice after the retirement of the then chief justice, Ramesh Sinha, on September 4. The latest posting of Justice Agrawal comes against the backdrop of a controversy related to former acting chief justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. Supreme Court judge Sandeep Mehta has written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant urging that Justice Sharma should leave Rajasthan and be replaced by a temporary chief justice from another state due to apprehensions regarding his handling of work.

Centre Approves Appointment After Collegium Recommendation

However, in response, the Chief Justice of India stated that in cases where charges are made against a sitting judge, the process must be followed and Justice Sharma should have a chance to express his views on the matter. Afterwards, Justice Sharma sent a written reply to the Chief Justice of India, in which he refuted all the charges against him and stated that his stand was based on facts.