Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday. The oath was administered by Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar at a ceremony held at the Birsa Mandap in Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.
Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari read out the warrant of appointment, after which Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor Nitin Kulkarni invited Justice Chauhan to take the oath.
The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda, judges and former judges of the Jharkhand High Court, senior civil and police officers, court officials, and senior members of the Bar.
Born on 9 January 1964 in Tehsil Rohru, Himachal Pradesh, Justice Chauhan studied at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and graduated with honours from DAV College, Chandigarh. He earned his law degree from Panjab University and enrolled as an advocate in 1989.
He served as Standing Counsel and Legal Advisor to several state agencies and was actively involved in legal aid programmes and environmental litigation. He was appointed Additional Judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in February 2014 and became a permanent judge in November of the same year. He served as acting chief justice in 2023 and formally took charge as Chief Justice on 19 October 2024.
With Wednesday’s oath, Justice Chauhan has officially assumed office as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court.