Rajesh Bindal (born 16 April 1961) is an Indian judge. Presently, he is the Chief Justice of

Allahabad High Court Allahabad High Court, also known as High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is the high court based in Prayagraj that has jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established on 17 March 1866, making it one of the oldest high ...

. He had earlier served as the

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Chief Justice of

Jammu and Kashmir High Court The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is the common high court for union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It was established as the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir on 26 March 1928 by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. The s ...

. He is also former acting Chief Justice of the

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court buildi ...

. He was appointed by the

president of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

to serve as acting chief justice after the retirement of T. B. Radhakrishnan.

Career

Rajesh Bindal was appointed a judge of the

Punjab and Haryana High Court Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 Per ...

in 2006. He became the chairman of the computer committee and arrears committee of the court. On 26 October 2018, the collegium recommended he be transferred to the

Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...

. He requested reconsideration of transfer, alternatively requesting transfer instead to a high court in

north India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

. The collegium rejected reconsideration but acceded to the request for an alternative transfer. On 11 November, he was recommended for a transfer to the

, the common high court for the union territories of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

and

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. On 9 December 2020, Bindal was appointed by the

to serve as the acting chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court following the retirement of

Gita Mittal Justice Gita Mittal (born 9 December 1958) is an Indian judge.She is the former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the first woman judge to serve in that capacity. She has also served as the Acting Chief Justice and Judge ...

. The Bar Association of Jammu and Kashmir had decided to boycott his court due to his behaviour. On 5 January 2021, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court through a nomination from the CJI

Sharad Arvind Bobde Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 24 April 1956) is an Indian judge who served as the 47th Chief Justice of India from 18 November 2019 to 23 April 2021. He is a former Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He is also serving as the Chance ...

, after Pankaj Mithal took charge as the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Following the retirement of T. B. Radhakrishnan, he was appointed by the president to serve as the acting chief justice of the

on 29 April. On 27 June, the Bar Council of West Bengal appealed to the CJI N. V. Ramana for the removal of the acting chief justice on grounds of "interference in fair and impartial dispensation of justice". He was elevated as Chief Justice of

on 9 October 2021 and took oath on 11 October 2021.

Notable judgements

Promotion reservations

Bindal was on the two judge bench along with justice B.S. Walia which quashed the Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006. The legislation granted 20% reservations in promotions for

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

in C and D category government services and 14% in A and B category government services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bindal, Rajesh Indian judges 1961 births Living people Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Judges of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Judges of the Calcutta High Court Chief Justices of the Allahabad High Court