Justice Arun Palli was sworn in as the 38th chief justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor, UT of J&K, Manoj Sinha administered him the oath of office and secrecy.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Abdul Rahim Rather, and judges of the high court, subordinate judiciary, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

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Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh Justice G S Sandhawalia, sitting and retired judges from Justice Palli’s parent high court of Punjab and Haryana, along with advocates, family and friends also attended the event held at the Convention Centre.

On 12 April, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification regarding the appointment of Justice Palli as the chief justice of the high court days after the retirement of Tashi Rabistan as the chief justice. Justice Sanjeev Kumar was serving as the acting chief justice since the retirement of Justice Rabistan on 9 April.

On 4 April, the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna had recommended Justice Palli of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the position.

Born on 18 September 1964, Justice Palli graduated in Commerce and completed his Bachelor of Law degree from the Panjab University in 1988 and commenced his legal practice at the High Court of Punjab and Haryana.

He was elevated to the Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 28 December 2013. He was serving as the executive chairman of Haryana State Legal Service Authority from 31 May 2023 and was nominated as a Member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on 31 October 2023, for two years.