Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri on Sunday took oath as the chief justice of the Patna High Court. The oath was administered by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
The function was attended by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Samrat Choudhary and several other dignitaries.
A press release by Ministry of Law and Justice reads, “In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri, Judge of the Patna High Court… pic.twitter.com/yjD1eRbLeJ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 20, 2025
A notification in this regard was issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on Saturday.
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, had on Thursday recommended the appointment of Justice Bajanthri, who was serving as the Acting Chief Justice — as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
Born on October 23, 1963, Justice Bajanthri completed his schooling at Vidyavardhaka Sangha and K.L.E. Society, and obtained his law degree from S.J.R.C. Law College, Bengaluru.
He was enrolled as an advocate in 1990 and practiced before the High Court of Karnataka, the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), and various educational authorities. In 1993–94, he served as Standing Counsel for the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). He was appointed as a Notary by the Government of India in May 2006.
Justice Bajanthri was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court on January 2, 2015. He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 16, 2015. Upon his return to the Karnataka High Court, he took oath as a Judge on November 17, 2018. He was later transferred to the Patna High Court, where he took oath as a Judge on October 20, 2021.
