The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Justice Sudhir Singh, currently serving at the Patna High Court, for appointment as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.His proposed elevation brings into focus his judicial journey from Patna to Chandigarh and back, as well as the institutional links between the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Uttarakhand High Court, both of which have seen judges move between their jurisdictions over the years.The recommendation was made at the Collegium meeting held on October 26. Justice Singh’s proposed elevation is yet to culminate in a formal appointment by the government.Justice Singh’s connection with Chandigarh dates to his transfer from the Patna High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2023. He was sworn in as a Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on November 2, 2023. The Union government notified his transfer back to the Patna High Court on July 14, 2025.From the Bar to the BenchJustice Singh was enrolled as an advocate in 1991 and spent more than two decades in legal practice before his elevation to the Bench.According to the official profile published by the Patna High Court, Justice Sudhir Singh completed his schooling at Vikas Vidyalaya, Ranchi, graduated in Political Science from Patna College, Patna University, and obtained his law degree from Patna Law College.His professional experience before elevation included serving as Central Government Counsel for the Union of India, Railway Advocate for the Ministry of Railways, Additional Standing Counsel for the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, and Assistant Solicitor General of India at the Patna High Court. His practice predominantly involved criminal and writ matters.Justice Singh was appointed an Additional Judge of the Patna High Court on April 15, 2015, and sworn in as a permanent judge on April 20, 2016.He also comes from a family with a long legal tradition. His father, Justice N.P. Singh, is a former Supreme Court judge who chaired the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. His grandfather, Baldeo Prasad Singh, was a barrister who practised at the Patna High Court and served for a long period as president of its Barrister’s Association.A continuing Chandigarh-Nainital connectionJustice Sudhir Singh’s proposed elevation is the latest development in a wider history of judicial movement between the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Uttarakhand High Court.Justice J.S. Khehar, who later became the 44th Chief Justice of India, served as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court in 2009 after his tenure at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.Justice Rajiv Sharma, too, served at both institutions. His tenure is associated with significant environmental litigation, including the Uttarakhand High Court’s orders concerning the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and his subsequent judgment concerning the legal status of Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake.Justice Ritu Bahri also linked the two institutions when she moved from serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to becoming Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court in February 2024. She was the first woman to head the Uttarakhand High Court and retired in October 2024.Justice Singh’s proposed appointment would add another chapter to this institutional relationship. For the legal fraternity in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, his elevation would also bring a familiar judicial figure to the helm of the High Court in Nainital. The formal appointment will follow the completion of the constitutional process.