Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant finally spoke out on a series of letters written to him by fellow Supreme Court Judge Justice Sandeep Mehta, complaining against the Rajasthan High Court’s Acting Chief Justice, Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma.
Justice Sandeep Mehta wrote three letters to the CJI this month seeking to replace Justice Sharma as the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court by appointing a regular Chief Justice in his place. He also raised the issue as to why his repeated appeals for the transfer of Justice Sharma were being “ignored” despite there being “clear evidence” of “favouritism”.
Following media reports on August 26 about Justice Mehta’s letters, CJI Surya Kant, who is currently abroad on an official tour, issued a press statement, emphasizing that he has already taken note of the concerns raised by Justice Mehta in his letters.
However, the CJI stressed that allegations against a sitting judge must be dealt with strictly through the established institutional mechanism.
The CJI maintained that the allegations of Justice Mehta, which have come into the public domain through media reports, cannot by itself be treated as a finding against Justice Sharma. The CJI said the issue is being examined at the “appropriate level.”
The CJI clarified that any decision regarding continuation, transfer, or any other administrative action concerning the acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court will be taken by the competent authority only after considering the materials placed by Justice Mehta as well as the response of Justice Sharma.
The CJI also referred to the issue of appointing regular Chief Justices in High Courts, saying the Collegium was working towards it. Justice SP Sharma is due to retire on September 26.
Justice Mehta, on the basis of inputs received from other judges of the High Court, as well as other sources, alleged “gross maladministration” and “seriously questionable activities” on the part of Justice Sharma and sought his transfer.
The contents of Justice Mehta’s three letters came out in public through media.
In his first letter, written on August 2, 2026, Justice Mehta complained about the “grim and disturbing scenario” in the Rajasthan High Court, saying the ACJ displayed a total lack of leadership qualities and exhibited conduct unbecoming of a leader of the institution on more than one occasion.
The next letter, sent on August 10, noted that the CJI had asked Justice Sharma to respond to the shifting of cases but said that no specific information was further available on the reply or facts of these cases.
Justice Mehta also alleged that Justice Sharma called and humiliated judicial officers in Rajasthan to satisfy a “personal vendetta”.
In his last letter on August 17, Justice Mehta uses terms like “rampant nepotism and favouritism” to describe the ACJ’s actions.
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