Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao took the oath of office as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday. The oath was administered by Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar at the Raj Bhavan.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto, state ministers, numerous judges, and senior government officials. Notably, on September 21, chief justices were appointed in seven high courts.

The appointments were made following the Supreme Court Collegium's amendment of some of its recommendations from July 11 earlier this month. Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao, previously the head of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, has now been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. His transfer occurred shortly after the Jharkhand government approached the Supreme Court regarding the BJP-led Centre's failure to implement the Collegium's recommendation for his appointment.

Justice Rao comes from a family of judges, making him a third-generation member of the judiciary. He holds a science degree with honors in Mathematics from Bhavans New Science College, affiliated with Osmania University, where he graduated at the top of his class. He subsequently pursued a law degree, receiving the CVSS Acharyulu Gold Medal for achieving the highest marks in his final year of LL.B.

After enrolling as an advocate, Justice Rao earned his Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge in the UK in 1991. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 29, 2012, and was later transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in October 2021 before moving to the Himachal Pradesh High Court.