Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 1

The President of India has appointed Justice Sanjeev Kumar as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, following the elevation of Chief Justice Arun Palli to the Supreme Court, an official notification said on Monday.

The appointment has been made under Article 223 of the Constitution, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice said in a notification.

Justice Sanjeev Kumar was born on April 8, 1966, in Prehta Nagrota village of Basohli tehsil in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

He completed his graduation in science from Government Degree College Kathua in 1985 and later earned his LLB from the University of Jammu in 1988, both in first division.

He enrolled as an advocate with the J&K Bar Council in 1989 and later served in several government legal roles, including Government Advocate for the Srinagar Wing of the High Court from 1992 to 1993 and again from 1994 to 1995.

He also served as Government Advocate for the Jammu Wing from 1995 to 1998 and represented multiple government departments and public sector undertakings, including the Forest, Finance, Commercial Taxes and Excise departments.

Justice Kumar was on the panel of the Advocate General for over two years and later served as standing counsel for the J&K Services Selection Board from 2006 to 2012.

He has more than 200 reported judgments to his credit and has appeared in several significant matters, including the Toshakhana case, the Assembly dissolution case and reservation in promotion-related litigation.

He was sworn in as a permanent judge of the High Court on June 6, 2017, and had earlier served briefly as Acting Chief Justice from April 9, 2025, according to officials.