Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale

Justice P.B. Varale was born on 23 June 1962 in Nipani, Karnataka, and enrolled at the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa on 12 August 1985. He served as a law lecturer at Ambedkar Law College, Aurangabad before entering full-time advocacy in civil, criminal, labour, and administrative matters.

He was elevated as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on 18 July 2008 and served as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court from 15 October 2022 before his Supreme Court elevation on 25 January 2024.

His Supreme Court docket is dominated by criminal law. Notable rulings include guidelines on bail in POCSO cases and addressing rights of accused persons regarding narco-analysis testing.