Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued orders transferring and posting 15 judicial officers, a move that will alter leadership at a number of district and family court benches across the state. The reshuffle, communicated by the registry, reassigns District and Sessions Judges (DSJs) and Additional DSJs among several districts including Shimla, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Una, Mandi and Solan.
Key postings and swaps
The transfers replace incumbents at a range of posts. Among the principal changes, the judge who was holding the post of District and Sessions Judge (Forests) in Shimla has been transferred and named DSJ at Sirmaur (Nahan). Meanwhile, the DSJ previously posted in Kinnaur has been moved to serve as Principal Judge of the Family Court in Mandi.
There are also reciprocal moves between Una and Kullu: the DSJ from Una will now take charge at Kullu, while the officer posted at Kullu has been transferred to Una. In addition, the list includes several promotions and lateral shifts among Additional District and Sessions Judges to fill vacancies created by these transfers.
- Ajay Mehta—from DSJ (Forests), Shimla to DSJ, Sirmaur (Nahan)
- Madan Kumar—from DSJ, Kinnaur (Rampur Bushahr) to Principal Judge, Family Court, Mandi
- Aman Sood—from Principal Judge, Family Court, Mandi to DSJ, Kangra (Dharamsala)
The High Court order also recalled a judicial officer who was presiding over the Labour Court-cum-Industrial Tribunal at Kangra (Dharamsala) and placed his services at the disposal of the state government for an administrative appointment in the law department.
Further reassignments
Several Additional District and Sessions Judges have been redeployed to meet circuit requirements and administrative balance. Officers moved include those serving in Shimla, Sirmaur, Una, Mandi, Kullu and Solan. These adjustments affect both first-in-charge and second-in-charge Additional DSJ posts.
| Officer | Previous Posting | New Posting |
|---|---|---|
| Ajay Mehta | DSJ (Forests), Shimla | DSJ, Sirmaur (Nahan) |
| Madan Kumar | DSJ, Kinnaur (Rampur Bushahr) | Principal Judge, Family Court, Mandi |
| Aman Sood | Principal Judge, Family Court, Mandi | DSJ, Kangra (Dharamsala) |
| Naresh Kumar | DSJ, Una | DSJ, Kullu |
| Prakash Chand Rana | DSJ, Kullu | DSJ, Una |
| Praveen Chauhan | Presiding Officer, Labour Court-cum-Industrial Tribunal, Kangra (Dharamsala) | Recalled to be at disposal of state government for law department posting |
Other officers affected by the order include Additional DSJs who have been moved into different first- and second-in-charge roles to fill vacated slots and to rebalance judicial manpower at various district level courts.
Administrative rationale and impact
The registry’s transfers appear aimed at optimising judicial deployment across hill and valley districts, ensuring that key courts have designated presiding judges. Transfers of this scale are routine ahead of the start of court terms and help address case backlogs, vacancy pressures and the need for specialised judicial leadership at family and labour benches.
Legal practitioners and court staff in affected districts will now adjust to new supervisory arrangements. Administrative duties such as roster finalisation, case allocation and coordination with state legal authorities are typically handled by the incoming DSJs and Additional DSJs following such orders.
The High Court order provides the effective dates and posting details in the official transfer memo. Implementation of transfers will follow administrative formalities including joining reports and handover of files at the respective district courts.
Note: The High Court’s transfer list names 15 officers whose postings have been revised. The move includes both district level judges and several Additional District and Sessions Judges across Himachal Pradesh.
