The Central Government Today (March 4) confirmed the permanent appointment of Justice Shailesh Pramod Brahme, Justice Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla, and Justice Jitendra Shantilal Jain in the Bombay High Court. Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande’s term as an additional judge has also been extended for one year.
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NEW DELHI: The Central Government officially approved the appointment of three additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges on March 4.
The judges who have been made permanent are:
- Justice Shailesh Pramod Brahme
- Justice Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla
- Justice Jitendra Shantilal Jain
Along with this decision, the government has also given approval for extending the term of “Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande” as an additional judge for another year.
This important decision was taken based on the recommendation of the “Supreme Court Collegium” in February 2025.
As per records on March 1, the “Bombay High Court” is currently operating with 66 judges, while its total sanctioned strength is 94.
This means that there are 28 vacant positions in the court.
BACKGROUND
The Supreme Court Collegium suggested making three extra judges of the Bombay High Court into permanent judges.
This decision was made in a meeting held on February 20 (Thursday).
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As per the official statement, the judges recommended for permanent positions in the High Court are:
i) Justice Shailesh Pramod Brahme,
ii) Justice Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla, and
iii) Justice Jitendra Shantilal Jain.
The Collegium has also suggested extending the term of Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande as an additional judge for one more year.
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“The Supreme Court Collegium has resolved to recommend that Smt. Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande, Additional Judge, be appointed as Additional Judge of the High Court of Bombay for a fresh term of one year,”
-the statement mentioned.
Justices Brahme, Pooniwalla, and Jain had taken the oath as additional judges of the Bombay High Court in June 2023. They were originally appointed for a term of two years.
An interesting point in this matter is that when the Collegium had first recommended their appointment in 2023, it had dismissed an objection from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding the selection of Justice Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla as a judge.
The IB had raised concerns over Pooniwalla’s appointment because of an article written by a lawyer under whom Pooniwalla had previously worked as a junior.
This article, published in 2020, had expressed concerns about the alleged decline in freedom of speech and expression in India over the past 5-6 years.
However, the Collegium clearly stated in its resolution that the opinions expressed by Pooniwalla’s former senior do not affect Pooniwalla’s “competence, ability or credentials for appointment as a judge of the High Court.”
Justice Manjusha A Deshpande was initially appointed as an additional judge for two years in August 2023.
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On July 18, 2023, the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, had suggested her name for appointment as a judge of the Bombay High Court.
The Collegium had noted that Deshpande is an experienced lawyer with expertise in multiple areas of law, particularly in constitutional and service-related matters.
This recommendation was approved by the Central Government in August 2023. Now, she will continue serving as an additional judge for another year.
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