K. Somashekar

Kempaiah Somashekar (born 15 September 1963) is a retired Indian judge who has previously served as the 9th Chief Justice of Manipur High Court. He has also served as a judge of Karnataka High Court.

Early life and education Justice Somashekar was born on 15 September 1963. He enrolled as an advocate on 27 January 1990 and started practising law in Mysore and Chamarajanagar Districts on both Civil and Criminal sides.

He was elevated to bench as an additional judge of Karnataka High Court on 14 November 2016 and was confirmed as permanent Judge on 3 November 2018. This was cleared by central government on 20 May 2025. He assumed office as 9th Chief Justice of Manipur High Court on 22 May 2025 and retired on 14 September 2025 after serving brief tenure of nearly 4 months.