CJI Surya Kant: An extraordinary rift has surfaced within India’s higher judiciary after Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta wrote a series of letters to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, demanding the immediate replacement of Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma over serious allegations of misconduct.
The Letters And Their Timing
In three letters dated August 2, 10 and 17, 2026, Justice Mehta, who began his judicial career at the Rajasthan High Court before his Supreme Court elevation, urged the CJI to appoint a Chief Justice from another state “with immediate effect,” warning that inaction would be “wholly against the interest of the Institution.”
DON'T MISS
Allegations Of Maladministration
Justice Mehta accused Justice Sharma of “gross maladministration,” nepotism, and misusing his position as master of the roster to selectively favour certain lawyers and “rich litigants,” citing instances where cases were suddenly withdrawn from other judges’ rosters and reassigned.
Colleagues Allegedly Threatened
Justice Mehta said several Rajasthan High Court judges had personally shared their distress over Justice Sharma’s conduct, alleging he threatened colleagues with retributive transfers, citing his closeness to the CJI. He also cited a colleague’s account of vindictive treatment toward his wife, a district judiciary officer.
An Unusually Long Tenure
Justice Mehta flagged that Justice Sharma has held the acting Chief Justice post for an unusually long ten months, questioning why such latitude was granted. Sharma, elevated to the Rajasthan bench in 2016, later transferred through Patna and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, is set to retire on September 26.
A Broader Pattern
CJI Surya Kant: The letters draw on a recent Supreme Court observation about judges passing orders for extraneous reasons ahead of retirement, describing some as “hitting sixes” before stepping down, a pattern Justice Mehta said fit Justice Sharma’s conduct closely.
