India, July 15 -- In a major shake-up in the higher judiciary, the Union government on Monday cleared a series of long-pending appointments and transfers, notifying new chief justices for nine high courts and the relocation of 19 high court judges across India. The flurry of late-evening notifications came seven weeks after the Supreme Court collegium, under Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai, recommended these sweeping changes on May 26, marking his first decisive move after taking over as the head of the Indian judiciary. The collegium also comprised justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, JK Maheshwari and BV Nagarathna.

The long-awaited approvals end weeks of bureaucratic impasse and underline continuing friction between the judiciary a...