State PCS - Bihar (BPSC)

• 30 Jul 2025

Vipul Pancholi Appointed Chief Justice of Patna HC

Why in News? 

Justice Vipul M. Pancholi was sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice of the Patna High Court (HC) at the Raj Bhavan in Patna, with Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administering the oath of office. 

• He succeeded Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran, who was elevated to the Supreme Court of India. 
• Earlier, Justice Vipul served as an advocate in the Gujarat High Court and as a judge of both the Gujarat High Court and the Patna High Court. 

Key Facts About Patna High Court (HC) 

• Creation: The Patna High Court was established following a proclamation by the Governor-General of India in 1912, which promoted Bihar and Orissa to the status of a separate province.  
• Foundation: The foundation stone of the Patna High Court building was laid on 1st December 1913, by Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India.  
  • The first Chief Justice of the Patna High Court was Sir Edward Maynard Des Champs Chamier (March 1916- October 1917). 
• Post-Independence: After India became a republic in 1950, the Patna High Court's jurisdiction was extended, allowing it to issue writs under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution.  
  • The first Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in independent India was Sir Clifford Monmohan Agarwala (January 1948- January 1950). 

Composition & Appointment of High Court Judges  

• Composition: Each High Court consists of a Chief Justice and other judges as determined by the President.  
  • The President decides the strength of a High Court based on its workload.  
• Appointment of High Court Judges: A High Court (HC) judge is appointed by the President under Article 217 of the Constitution.   
  • The Chief Justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the state concerned.   
  • For the appointment of other judges, the chief justice of the concerned high court is also consulted.    
  • In case of a common high court for two or more states, the governors of all the states concerned are consulted by the President.   
    • The oath to a High Court judge is administered by the governor of that state. 
• Qualifications of Judges: A person to be appointed as a judge of a High Court should have the following qualifications:  
  • He should be a citizen of India.  
  • He should have held a judicial office in the territory of India for ten years, or  
  • He should have been an advocate of a High Court (or High Courts in succession) for ten years.  
• Minimum Age: The Constitution does not prescribe a minimum age for appointment as a judge of a High Court.   
• Tenure of Judges: A judge of a High Court can hold office until he attains the age of 62 years.  

High Courts in India 

• Position: The High Court operates below the Supreme Court and above subordinate courts in India's judicial system.  
  • The High Court is the highest judicial body in the state (total 25 High Courts in India).  
• Constitutional Provisions:  
  • High Court for each State: The Constitution of India provides for a High Court for each state (Article 214).  
    • Article 231 provides that the Parliament may by law establish a common High Court for two or more States or for two or more States and a Union Territory.  
  • Jurisdiction: Territorial jurisdiction is co-terminus with the state’s territory (or a common High Court’s jurisdiction is co-terminus with the territories of the concerned states and Union Territories).  
  • Articles 214 to 231: These deal with the organization, independence, jurisdiction, powers, and procedures of High Courts.

Satish Prasad Singh: Bihar's Shortest-Serving CM

Why in News? 

As Bihar heads toward the 2025 Assembly Elections, the state’s political history is being revisited, with particular focus on its leaders. Among them, Satish Prasad Singh, the sixth Chief Minister of Bihar, holds the record for the shortest tenure as CM, serving just 4 days.  

Key Points

• Shortest Tenure as CM: Satish Prasad Singh created history by serving as Bihar’s Chief Minister for just four days, from 28th January 1968 to 1st February 1968.  
  • His term was marked by political instability, as he was appointed as a stopgap CM before the rise of B.P. Mandal. 
• Political Beginnings: Satish Prasad Singh, born in Khagaria, was deeply influenced by socialist ideologies from an early age.  
  • His political career was shaped by his dedication to social justice and the farmers' cause. 

Longest-serving Chief Minister  

• Nitish Kumar is currently the longest-serving Chief Minister in Bihar with a total tenure of over 18 years (as of 2025). He broke the previous record held by Sri Krishna Sinha, who served for 17 years and 52 days. 
  • Longest Continuous Term: Sri Krishna Sinha still holds this record with 14 years and 314 days of uninterrupted service. 
  • Nitish Kumar's longest continuous term: 8 years and 239 days (2005-2014, with brief interruption by Jitan Ram Manjhi). 
• CM Who Has Taken Maximum Number of Oaths: Nitish Kumar holds the record for taking the maximum number of oaths as Chief Minister (sworn in 9 times as the CM of Bihar). 
• Bihar has experienced President's Rule 8 times since its formation as a state (Total 37 terms including 8 periods of President's Rule). 

Note

• Under the Government of India Act 1935, the heads of provincial governments in British India were officially designated as "Prime Ministers" or "Premiers" (not Chief Ministers). 
• Mohammad Yunus (1 April 1937 – 19 July 1937) was the first Prime Minister of Bihar Province, serving for 109 days under the Muslim Independent Party. Notably, he was the first person to take the oath as 'Prime Minister' in all of British India. 

Complete List of Bihar Chief Ministers (1947-2025) 

S. No.	Name	Tenure	Political Party/Alliance
1	Sri Krishna Sinha	15 Aug 1947– 31 Jan 1961	Indian National Congress
2	Deep Narayan Singh	1 Feb 1961 – 18 Feb 1961	Indian National Congress
3	Binodanand Jha	18 Feb 1961 – 2 Oct 1963	Indian National Congress
4	Krishna Ballabh Sahay	2 Oct 1963 – 5 Mar 1967	Indian National Congress
5	Mahamaya Prasad Sinha	5 Mar 1967 – 28 Jan 1968	Jana Kranti Dal
6	Satish Prasad Singh	28 Jan 1968 – 1 Feb 1968	Shoshit Dal
7	Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal (B.P. Mandal)	1 Feb 1968 – 22 Mar 1968	Shoshit Dal
—	President's Rule	29 Jun 1968 – 26 Feb 1969	—
8	Harihar Singh	26 Feb 1969 – 22 Jun 1969	Indian National Congress
9	Bhola Paswan Shastri	22 Jun 1969 – 4 Jul 1969	Indian National Congress
—	President's Rule	4 Jul 1969 – 16 Feb 1970	—
10	Daroga Prasad Rai	16 Feb 1970 – 22 Dec 1970	Indian National Congress
11	Karpoori Thakur	22 Dec 1970 – 2 Jun 1971	Samyukta Socialist Party
12	Bhola Paswan Shastri	2 Jun 1971 – 9 Jan 1972	Indian National Congress
—	President's Rule	9 Jan 1972 – 19 Mar 1972	—
13	Kedar Pandey	19 Mar 1972 – 2 Jul 1973	Indian National Congress
14	Abdul Gafoor	2 Jul 1973 – 11 Apr 1975	Indian National Congress
15	Jagannath Mishra	11 Apr 1975 – 30 Apr 1977	Indian National Congress
—	President's Rule	30 Apr 1977 – 24 Jun 1977	—
16	Karpoori Thakur	24 Jun 1977 – 21 Apr 1979	Janata Party
17	Ram Sundar Das	21 Apr 1979 – 17 Feb 1980	Janata Party (Secular)
—	President's Rule	17 Feb 1980 – 8 Jun 1980	—
18	Jagannath Mishra	8 Jun 1980 – 14 Aug 1983	Indian National Congress
19	Chandrashekhar Singh	14 Aug 1983 – 12 Mar 1985	Indian National Congress
20	Bindeshwari Dubey	12 Mar 1985 – 13 Feb 1988	Indian National Congress
21	Bhagwat Jha Azad	14 Feb 1988 – 10 Mar 1989	Indian National Congress
22	Satyendra Narayan Sinha	11 Mar 1989 – 6 Dec 1989	Indian National Congress
23	Jagannath Mishra	6 Dec 1989 – 10 Mar 1990	Indian National Congress
24	Lalu Prasad Yadav	10 Mar 1990 – 28 Mar 1995	Janata Dal
—	President's Rule	28 Mar 1995 – 5 Apr 1995	—
25	Lalu Prasad Yadav	5 Apr 1995 – 25 Jul 1997	Janata Dal / Rashtriya Janata Dal
26	Rabri Devi	25 Jul 1997 – 11 Feb 1999	Rashtriya Janata Dal
—	President's Rule	11 Feb 1999 – 9 Mar 1999	—
27	Rabri Devi	9 Mar 1999 – 2 Mar 2000	Rashtriya Janata Dal
28	Nitish Kumar	3 Mar 2000 – 10 Mar 2000	Samata Party
29	Rabri Devi	11 Mar 2000 – 6 Mar 2005	Rashtriya Janata Dal
—	President's Rule	7 Mar 2005 – 24 Nov 2005	—
30	Nitish Kumar	24 Nov 2005 – 17 May 2014	Janata Dal (United)
31	Jitan Ram Manjhi	20 May 2014 – 22 Feb 2015	Janata Dal (United)
32	Nitish Kumar	22 Feb 2015 – 20 Nov 2015	Janata Dal (United)
33	Nitish Kumar	20 Nov 2015 – 26 Jul 2017	Janata Dal (United) - Mahagathbandhan
34	Nitish Kumar	27 Jul 2017 – 16 Nov 2020	Janata Dal (United) - NDA
35	Nitish Kumar	16 Nov 2020 – 9 Aug 2022	Janata Dal (United) - NDA
36	Nitish Kumar	10 Aug 2022 – 28 Jan 2024	Janata Dal (United) - Mahagathbandhan
37	Nitish Kumar	28 Jan 2024 – Present	Janata Dal (United) - NDA

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