Hon'ble Justice Puthichira Sam Koshy | |
|---|---|
| Judge of Telangana High Court | |
| Assumed office 27 July 2023 | |
| Nominated by | D. Y. Chandrachud |
| Appointed by | Droupadi Murmu |
Acting Chief Justice | |
| Assumed office 6 October 2026 | |
| Appointed by | Droupadi Murmu |
| Preceded by | Aparesh Kumar Singh |
| In office 18 July 2025 – 19 July 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Droupadi Murmu |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Aparesh Kumar Singh |
| Judge of Chhattisgarh High Court | |
| In office 16 Septemeber 2013 – 26 July 2023 | |
| Nominated by | P. Sathasivam |
| Appointed by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1967 |
| Education | G. S. College of Commerce and Economics (B.Com), Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (LL.B) |
Puthichira Sam Koshy (born 30 April 1967) is an Indian jurist, who is currently serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. He is former Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh. In July 2025, he was appointed as Acting Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana by the President of India.
Koshy was born on 30 April 1967. He did his schoolings from St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Jabalpur. He completed his undergraduate studies in Commerce, earning a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) degree in 1987 from G. S. College of Commerce and Economics, Jabalpur. He pursued legal education at Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur (University of Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1990. He enrolled as an Advocate on 9 March 1991. He practiced civil, constitutional, service and labour law before the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur until October, 2000. In November 2000, he shifted his practice to Bilaspur, where he appeared before the newly established High Court of Chhattisgarh. During his years at the Bar, he developed a wide-ranging practice encompassing civil, constitutional, service and labour litigation. His professional work also brought him into contact with a number of government departments, public-sector undertakings, banks and private institutions. Koshy served as Government Advocate for the State of Chhattisgarh from 2002 to 2004 and subsequently served as Deputy Advocate General in 2005–06. His experience as counsel for the State and for major public institutions gave him substantial exposure to governmental and public-law litigation. Among the institutions for which he appeared were South East Central Railway, Coal India Limited, South Eastern Coalfields Limited, National Mineral Development Corporation, State Bank of India, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board and the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board. Alongside his legal practice, Koshy maintained an association with legal education. He was a member of the Academic Council of Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, and subsequently became a member of its General Council.
Koshy was appointed an Additional Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh on 16 September 2013 and was made permanent on 8 March 2016. In July 2023, Supreme Court collegium transferred him to the Telangana High Court on his own request. He took oath as a Judge of the Telangana High Court on 27 July 2023.
Following his transfer, Koshy was also associated with the Telangana State Legal Services Authority. He served as its Executive Chairman from 27 July 2023 to 25 March 2024 and again assumed the office from 1 July 2025. Koshy has been a leading Advocate for institutionalized Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Gracing the “Mediation for the Nation” campaign as Chief Guest, he highlighted that mediation should be developed not as a mere extension of adversarial litigation, but as an amicable, conciliation-driven mechanism that preserves personal and commercial relationships while saving litigant resources and preventing court docket inflation. He has actively supported community mediation outreach, encouraging law students, paralegal volunteers, and trained Advocates to conduct mediation camps at the grassroots level. In December 2025, he was appointed as a Member of the Central Authority of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) by the Union Law Ministry. In March 2026, the Chief of India, the Patron-in-Chief of NALSA, in consultation with the Executive Chairman, NALSA, nominated Justice Koshy as chairman of a high-level NALSA committee constituted to revisit the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme.
In July 2025, he was appointed as Acting Chief Justice from 18 July 2025. On 6 October 2026, he was again appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Telangana High Court following elevation of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh to Supreme Court of India.
He is a frequent visitor to the National Judicial Academy at Bhopal as a “Resource Person” addressing the Hon’ble Judges from across the country as also the District Judges from across the country on various topics and subjects.
Delivered the guest lecture on “Access to Justice: Impact and Challenges" organized by the Legal Aid Society of ICFAI Law School (IFHE), Hyderabad on 7th February, 2026.
Restorative Justice & Prison Welfare: Spearheaded institutional support for under trial legal aid, review of bail compliances, and rehabilitation infrastructure, including specialized de-addiction facilities for inmates at Chanchalguda Central Jail.
He presided over constitutional and administrative law matters, deciding various writ petitions and other legal proceedings.