# Uttarakhand High Court

The Uttarakhand High Court is the High Court of the state of Uttarakhand in India. The Uttarakhand High Court was established on 9 November 2000 after the separation of the state of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh.
The sanctioned judge strength at the time of creation in 2000 was 7; this was increased to 9 in 2003. Justice Ashok Desai was the inaugural holder of the office. Former Chief Justices of Uttarakhand Sarosh Homi Kapadia and Jagdish Singh Khehar later went on to become Chief Justice of India.

## History

The Uttarakhand High Court is a relatively new addition to India's judiciary system. The building of Uttarakhand High Court was constructed by Santoni MacDonald in 1900.
Uttarakhand was carved out from the state of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000 under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000. At the time of the creation of the state, the High Court of Uttarakhand was also established on the same day.
The Uttarakhand High Court is located in Nainital, a scenic hill station in the Kumaon region of the state.
The High Court consisted of just five court rooms at the beginning but later more court rooms were added. A huge Chief Justice Court Block and a Block of Lawyers’ chambers were built in 2007.

## Landmark judgements
### Status of rivers as legal persons

In March 2017, Uttarakhand High Court's single-judge bench presided by Justice Rajeev Sharma, mandated that the rivers Ganges and Yamuna as well as all water bodies are "living entities" i.e. "legal person", and appointed 3 persons as trustees to protect the rights of rivers against the pollution caused by the humans.

### Rohit Sagar v. State of Uttarakhand

Rohit Sagar v. State of Uttarakhand (2021) is a case where Uttarakhand High Court's two-judges bench presided by Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Narayan Singh Dhanik, held that the legal adults have the fundamental right to choose their own partners, and directed the Uttarakhand Police to provide necessary protection for the individuals and their property.

## List of sitting judges of the Uttarakhand High Court

There are currently eight sitting judges including the Chief Justice, with two posts of additional judges lying vacant. Following is the list of the current serving judges of the Uttarakhand High Court, ordered by seniority.
| No. | Name | Date of Appointment | Date of Retirement | Type of Vacancy | Parent High Court |
| Permanent Judges ||||||
| 1 | Guhanathan Narendar (Chief Justice) | 26 December 2024 | 9 January 2026 | Bar | Karnataka |
| 2 | Manoj Kumar Tiwari (Senior Judge) | 19 May 2017 | 18 September 2027 | Bar | Uttarakhand |
| 3 | Ravindra Maithani | 3 December 2018 | 24 June 2027 | Bench | Uttarakhand |
| 4 | Alok Kumar Verma | 27 May 2019 | 15 August 2026 | Bench | Uttarakhand |
| 5 | Rakesh Thapliyal | 28 April 2023 | 14 November 2027 | Bar | Uttarakhand |
| 6 | Pankaj Purohit | 28 April 2023 | 27 July 2030 | Bar | Uttarakhand |
| 7 | Vivek Bharti Sharma | 28 April 2023 | 12 June 2025 | Bench | Uttarakhand |
| 8 | Ashish Naithani | 9 January 2025 | 3 June 2026 | Bench | Uttarakhand |
| 9 | Alok Mahra | 14 February 2025 | 31 January 2034 | Bench | Uttarakhand |
| Additional Judges ||||||
| 10 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 11 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |

### Registrar General

Kahkasha Khan is the current Registrar General of the Uttarakhand High Court. She assumed office on 1 July 2024.

## List of Uttarakhand High Court judges elevated to the Supreme Court of India

| Sr. No | Portrait | Name | Date of Elevation | Date of Retirement | Parent High Court |
| 1 | | Prafulla Chandra Pant | 13 August 2014 | 29 August 2017 | Uttarakhand |
| 2 | | Sudhanshu Dhulia | 9 May 2022 | 9 August 2025 | Uttarakhand |

## List of Uttarakhand High Court judges elevated as Chief Justice to other high courts

| Sr. No | Name | Date of Elevation | Date of Retirement | Parent High Court | Remark |
| 1 | Prafulla Chandra Pant | 20 September 2013 | Elevated to the Supreme Court of India Retired on 29 August 2017 | Uttarakhand | Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court |
| 2 | Vijay Kumar Bist | 30 October 2018 | 16 September 2019 | Uttarakhand | Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court |
| 3 | Sudhanshu Dhulia | 10 January 2021 | Elevated to the Supreme Court of India Retires on 9 August 2025 | Uttarakhand | Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court |