Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia

Hon'ble Justice
Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia
30th Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court
Assumed office
29 December 2024
Nominated byD. Y. Chandrachud
Appointed byDroupadi Murmu
Preceded byRajiv Shakdher
Tarlok Singh Chauhan (acting)
Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court
In office
30 September 2011 – 28 December 2024
Acting CJ: 4 February 2024 – 8 July 2024
Nominated byS. H. Kapadia
Appointed byPratibha Patil
Personal details
Born (1965-11-01) 1 November 1965
ParentSurjit Singh Sandhawalia
EducationB. A. (Hons.)
Alma materDAV College, Chandigarh
Panjab University

Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (born 1 November 1965) is an Indian judge. He served as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court.[1] He previously served as a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Courts.[2]

Early life

G. S. Sandhawalia was born on 1 November 1965.

His father Surjit Singh Sandhawalia was Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court from 1978 to 1983, and of the Patna High Court from 1983 to 1987

He did his B.A. (Hons.) from DAV College, Chandigarh in 1986 and his L.L.B from Panjab University, Chandigarh in 1989.

Career

He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh in August in the same year. He handled criminal, civil, service, land acquisition and constitutional law as a private advocate, besides serving on judicial panels. He was a sportsman during his college days representing his College and University in tennis.

He was elevated to the Bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court on 30 September 2011, as an additional Judge and later confirmed as permanent judge on 24 January 2014.

He served as the Executive Chairman of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority. He became Acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on 4 February 2024 and remained until the appointment of Sheel Nagu as permanent chief justice on 8 July 2024.

On 11 July 2024, a Supreme Court collegium led by then CJI Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud recommended his elevation as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court,[3] but later suppressed that resolution and in its resolution dated 17 September 2024 recommended his appointment as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court.[4] Central Government cleared his appointment on 25 December 2024 and he assumed the position as Chief Justice of High Court of Himachal Pradesh on 29 December 2024.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Justice Gurmeet Sandhawalia is new acting CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC". 3 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Centre clears appointment of Justice GS Sandhawalia as Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice". Bar & Bench. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Appointment of Chief Justices of High Courts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras and Meghalaya" (PDF). cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in.
  4. ^ "SC collegium recommends Justice GS Sandhawalia as Himachal HC chief justice". The Times of India. 17 September 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia sworn in as new chief justice of Himachal HC". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 25 March 2025.