Fourteen new judges were sworn in as Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday by Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar. With their induction, the court’s working strength has risen from 68 to 82 against a sanctioned strength of 94.
Mumbai: Fourteen new judges were sworn in as Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, marking an important step in strengthening the court. Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar administered the oath of office at a formal ceremony.
The judges who took oath are:
- Siddheshwar Sundarrao Thombre
- Mehroz Ashraf Khan Pathan
- Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale
- Nandesh Shankarrao Deshpande
- Amit Satyavan Jamsandekar
- Ashish Sahadev Chavan
- Vaishali Nimbajirao Patil-Jadhav
- Sandesh Dadasaheb Patil
- Abasaheb Dharmaji Shinde
- Shreeram Vinayak Shirsat
- Hiten Shamrao Venegavkar
- Farhan Parvez Dubash
- Rajnish Ratnakar Vyas
- Raj Damodar Wakode
The Supreme Court collegium had recommended these names on August 19, and the Central government approved them on August 27.
The newly appointed judges will serve as Additional Judges for a period of two years from today. After this period, they may either be confirmed as permanent judges of the Bombay High Court or their tenure may not be extended, depending on the review of their performance.
Reason for Appointments
The Bombay High Court has one of the heaviest case loads in the country. It has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges, but until yesterday, it was functioning with only 68 judges. This shortage of judges has been a major reason for delays in hearings and the accumulation of pending cases.
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With the swearing-in of 14 new judges, the strength has now risen to 82, bringing significant relief. However, 12 vacancies still remain unfilled.
This expansion in judicial strength is expected to improve case management and speed up hearings in one of India’s busiest High Courts, bringing some relief to litigants waiting for justice.
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