New Delhi: The Union Government on Monday approved the appointment of five new Chief Justices to various High Courts, including Karnataka. Justice Vibhu Bakhru has been named the new Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and will succeed Acting Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao.

Born on November 2, 1966, in Nagpur, Justice Bakhru completed his schooling at Delhi Public School in New Delhi. He enrolled with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in 1985 and earned a B.Com degree from Delhi University in 1987. He cleared the final Chartered Accountancy exam in 1989 before pursuing law.

In 1990, he obtained his LLB degree and enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi. Over the years, he practised extensively before the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, Company Law Board, and various other tribunals.

Designated as a Senior Advocate in July 2011, Justice Bakhru was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in April 2013. He later served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court from Dec. 5, 2024, to Jan. 21, 2025.

His elevation to the Karnataka High Court comes after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his appointment on May 26, 2025.

Alongside Justice Bakhru, the Centre also cleared the appointments of Chief Justices to four other High Courts: Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva (Madhya Pradesh), Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan (Jharkhand), Justice Ashutosh Kumar (Gauhati), and Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi (Patna).