Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Justice Alpesh Yeshvant Kogje as Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice

Judicial Career and Background of Justice Kogje

Justice Kogje brings an extensive legal background to his prospective leadership role in Madhya Pradesh. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1990 before earning his law degree from the Faculty of Law at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1993. He commenced his practice at the Bar that same year, developing a robust legal practice specializing in both civil and criminal matters before the High Court.

Throughout his career, Justice Kogje has held several significant public service positions. He served as an Additional Public Prosecutor from 2002 to 2007 and acted as Standing Counsel for the Central Excise and Customs Department. He also held the role of Special Public Prosecutor for the Special Investigation Team, managing a substantial caseload of important matters stemming from the 2002 Godhra riots. In April 2016, he stepped up as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court, which marked a progression in his judicial journey that led to his confirmation as a permanent judge in March 2018.

Collegium Recommendations Across Multiple High Courts

Alongside the Madhya Pradesh appointment, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended leadership changes across several other jurisdictions. At a meeting held on August 31, the Collegium resolved to recommend Justice Sanjay K Agarwal, presently a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. The Chief Justice of India received critical letters from Supreme Court Judge Justice Sandeep Mehta regarding Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, and the aforementioned proposal was put forward amidst the ensuing controversy.

In the same August 31 session, the Collegium recommended Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, currently a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, to serve as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, as reported by Bar and Bench. Additionally, in an earlier meeting held on August 6, the Collegium recommended Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra of the High Court of Orissa to become the next Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court, succeeding the incumbent whose term ends with retirement on September 4, 2026.