Sheel Nagu

Early life and education

Justice Sheel Nagu was born on 1 January 1965. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree and later pursued a Bachelor of Laws degree before enrolling as an advocate on 5 October 1987.

Career as an advocate

Justice Nagu practised primarily before the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur. He developed a diverse practice spanning civil, constitutional, service, labour and criminal matters. 

Career as a judge

Justice Nagu was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 27 May 2011 and became a Permanent Judge on 23 May 2013. On 25 May 2024, he was appointed Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He was subsequently sworn in as the 36th permanent Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 July 2024.

Justice Nagu was also a member of the three-judge committee constituted by the Supreme Court to inquire into allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.

In May 2026, Justice Nagu was recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.  He took oath as a Supreme Court judge on 2 June 2026, and is expected to serve until 31 December 2029.

Notable Judgements

In the Punjab and Haryana High Court

In State v Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (2026), a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Nagu allowed  appeals arising from the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had published reports alleging sexual exploitation at the Dera Sacha Sauda. While the Court upheld the convictions of the shooters and the suppliers of the weapon, it acquitted Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of criminal conspiracy charges. 

In Rohit Mehta v Punjab and Haryana High Court (2024), a bench led by Chief Justice Nagu dismissed a Public Interest Litigation challenging the anonymisation of victims, juveniles, and parties in sensitive cases. The Bench held that the right to privacy under Article 21 outweighed the public interest in disclosure of personal information and observed that anonymity protects the dignity and safety of vulnerable individuals.

In the Madhya Pradesh High Court

In Lalji Singh v State of Madhya Pradesh (2021), a bench comprising Justices Nagu and Rajeev Kumar Srivastava examined healthcare in prisons while considering the plea of an inmate suffering from serious cardiac ailments. Holding that prisoners continue to enjoy their fundamental right to health, the Court directed the state to strengthen healthcare facilities by establishing a primary healthcare centre in the prison campus to  ensure access to specialist treatment for serious illnesses.

In Shamim Chouhan v State of Madhya Pradesh (2022), a Division bench of Justices Nagu and Dinesh Kumar Paliwal upheld a preventive detention order passed under the National Security Act, 1980. The Court held that an assault on an Executive Magistrate performing official duties transcended a mere law-and-order issue and had the potential to disturb public order.