Patna High Court has got a new permanent Chief Justice. The Ministry of Law and Justice of the Government of India has issued a notification appointing senior judge of the Odisha High Court, Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. President Droupadi Murmu has made the appointment under the Constitution, which will take effect from the date he assumes charge.
The appointment has been made on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium. In its meeting held on December 18, 2025, the Collegium had recommended Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo’s appointment as the 47th Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and forwarded the proposal to the Central Government. The recommendation was part of an exercise to fill vacant Chief Justice posts in several High Courts across the country.
In the same meeting, the Collegium had also recommended names for the posts of Chief Justices of the Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Sikkim and Meghalaya High Courts. Notifications for some of these appointments have already been issued, while the process is still underway in other cases. The Patna High Court had been awaiting the appointment of a permanent Chief Justice for a long time, a wait that has now come to an end.
Following the issuance of the notification, the Governor of Bihar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, after which he will formally assume charge as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. Until now, Justice Sudhir Singh had been discharging responsibilities as the Acting Chief Justice.
Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo was born in Odisha. He completed his matriculation from Nuabazar High School, and thereafter obtained his ISC and BSc degrees from Stewart Science College, Cuttack. He earned his MA in English and Odia from Utkal University and completed his LLB from Law College, Cuttack.
He was enrolled as an advocate with the Odisha State Bar Council on November 26, 1989. During his practice, his main areas of work were criminal law and service matters. He extensively practised before various district courts in Odisha, the Odisha High Court, consumer forums, the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
After a long and successful career at the Bar, he was appointed as a judge of the Odisha High Court on July 2, 2014. There, he heard several important cases and earned recognition for his balanced judicial approach and sensitive judgments.
Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo is known as an experienced, balanced and firm judge. His appointment is expected to facilitate faster disposal of pending cases in the Patna High Court, strengthen judicial administration and improve institutional functioning. Legal experts believe that the appointment also underscores the principles of seniority, transparency and merit in the Indian judiciary.
The Patna High Court is expected to witness renewed momentum and confidence in the judicial process under the leadership of Justice Sahoo as its new Chief Justice.
