Jharkhand High Court
Jharkhand High Court is the High Court for the Indian state of Jharkhand. It was established on 15 November 2000, following the bifurcation of the state of Bihar and succeeded the jurisdiction previously exercised by the Patna High Court over the region. Since 24 May 2023, the High Court has been functioning from a newly constructed complex at Dhurwa, Ranchi, which was inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. The campus is spread across 165 acres, making it the largest High Court complex in India by area.
History
A circuit bench of the Patna High Court was established at Ranchi on 6 March 1972 under clause 36 of the letters patent of the Patna High Court. The circuit bench became the permanent bench of the Patna High Court, by the High Court at Patna Act 1976 on 8 April 1976. This permanent bench finally became the Jharkhand High Court on reorganisation of Bihar state on 15 November 2000, under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.In 2013, the Government of Jharkhand approved plans for a new High Court complex at Dhurwa, Ranchi, in view of the growing caseload and limited capacity of the old building at Doranda. Construction began in 2015 on an area of about 165 acres, of which 72 acres were earmarked for the main court complex. The foundation stone was laid with the aim of creating a modern judicial infrastructure and work continued for nearly eight years.
The new building of the Jharkhand High Court was inaugurated by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on 24 May 2023 in the presence of the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, and other dignitaries. Spread over 165 acres, it is the largest High Court complex in India by area. The project was built at an estimated cost of around ₹550 crore for construction, while including land acquisition and associated facilities, the overall cost has been estimated at close to ₹1,000 crore.
The main structure contains 25 air-conditioned courtrooms with adjoining judges’ chambers, ante rooms and waiting areas. The Chief Justice’s block includes a video conference hall, kitchen, dining area and a large conference room. For the Bar, the complex provides two large halls with a combined capacity of 1,660 advocates, 76 senior advocate chambers with attached toilets and pantries, 369 additional lawyer chambers, recreation halls for men and women, clerks’ halls and a bar room. The central lobby measures nearly 14,000 square feet.
Supporting infrastructure includes 12 conference rooms, registrar chambers, offices for the Advocate General and public prosecutors, auditoriums, committee halls, typist blocks, dispensaries, barracks and two canteens. The complex also provides parking space for about 2,000 vehicles and is under surveillance with more than 500 CCTV cameras. Built with sustainable features, the new campus has a 2,000 KVA solar system that supplies about 40% of its power needs, a sewage treatment plant of 200 KLD capacity to recycle water, and more than 4,400 trees planted within the grounds. The entire facility is designed as a modern judicial hub combining functionality, security, and environmental sustainability.
Chief Justice and Judges
Jharkhand High Court is permitted to have a maximum of 25 judges of which 20 may be permanently appointed and 5 may be additionally appointed. Currently, it has 15 judges.Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak is the current Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, having assumed office on 9 January 2026.
Former Chief Justices
List of former Chief Justices of High Court of Jharkhand:
| # | Portrait | Chief Justice | Term |
| 1 | Vinod Kumar Gupta | 5 December 2000- 4 March 2003 | |
| 2 | P. K. Balasubramanyan | 10 March 2003-26 August 2004 | |
| -- | S. J. Mukhopadhaya | 26 August 2004-28 February 2005 | |
| 3 | Altamas Kabir | 1 March 2005-8 September 2005 | |
| 4 | Nelavoy Dhinakar | 4 December 2005- 9 June 2006 | |
| -- | S. J. Mukhopadhaya | 10 June 2006- 16 September 2006 | |
| -- | M.Y. Eqbal | 17 September 2006 – 17 September 2006 | |
| 5 | M. Karpaga Vinayagam | 17 September 2006– 15 May 2008 | |
| 6 | Gyan Sudha Misra | 13 July 2008-30 April 2010 | |
| -- | Sushil Harkauli | 1 May 2010-21 August 2010 | |
| 7 | Bhagwati Prasad | 22 August 2010-12 May 2011 | |
| -- | Prakash Chandra Tatia | 13 May 2011-10 Sep 2011 | |
| 8 | Prakash Chandra Tatia | 11 September 2011 – 3 August 2013 | |
| -- | Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel | 4 August 2013 – 15 November 2013 | |
| 9 | R. Banumathi | 16 November 2013 – 12 August 2014 | |
| -- | Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel | 13 August 2014 – 31 October 2014 | |
| 10 | Virender Singh | 1 November 2014 – 6 October 2016 | |
| -- | Pradip Kumar Mohanty | 7 October 2016 – 23 March 2017 | |
| 11 | Pradip Kumar Mohanty | 24 March 2017 – 9 June 2017 | |
| -- | Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel | 10 June 2017 – 10 August 2018 | |
| 12 | Aniruddha Bose | 11 August 2018 – 23 May 2019 | |
| -- | Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel | 24 May 2019 – 6 June 2019 | |
| -- | Prashant Kumar | 7 June 2019 – 30 August 2019 | |
| -- | Harish Chandra Mishra | 30 August 2019 – 16 November 2019 | |
| 13 | Ravi Ranjan | 17 November 2019 – 19 December 2022 | |
| -- | Aparesh Kumar Singh | 20 December 2022 – 19 February 2023 | |
| 14 | Sanjaya Kumar Mishra | 20 February 2023 – 28 December 2023 | |
| -- | Shree Chandrashekhar | 29 December 2023 – 4 July 2024 | |
| 15 | Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi | 5 July 2024 – 19 July 2024 | |
| -- | Sujit Narayan Prasad | 20 July 2024 – 24 September 2024 | |
| 16 | M. S. Ramachandra Rao | 25 September 2024 – 21 July 2025 | |
| -- | Sujit Narayan Prasad | 22 July 2025 – 22 July 2025 | |
| 17 | Tarlok Singh Chauhan | 23 July 2025 – 8 January 2026 | |
| 18 | M. S. Sonak | 9 January 2026 – Incubment |