New Delhi/Mumbai, August 22 – In a major step towards strengthening the judiciary, the Union Government on Wednesday cleared the appointment of 14 advocates as Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court. The decision comes just a week after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names.
With these new appointments, the working strength of the Bombay High Court will rise to 83 judges – the highest in recent years. The sanctioned strength of the court, which is the second largest High Court in the country after Allahabad, currently stands at 94.
According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the 14 advocates will serve as Additional Judges for a term of two years from the date they assume office. The list includes Siddheshwar Sundarrao Thombre, Mehroz Ashraf Khan Pathan, Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale, Nandesh Shankarrao Deshpande, Amit Satyavan Jamsandekar, Ashish Sahadev Chavan, Sandesh Dadasaheb Patil, Vaishali Nimbajirao Patil-Jadhav, Abasaheb Dharmaji Shinde, Shreeram Vinayak Shirsat, Hiten Shamrao Venegavkar, Farhan Parvez Dubash, Rajnish Ratnakar Vyas and Raj Damodar Wakode.
The appointments have drawn attention as some of the new judges share professional and family ties with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R. Gavai. Advocate Wakode is reportedly related to the CJI, while Advocate Mehroz Pathan had earlier worked under him. Sources clarified that Justice Gavai had recused himself from Collegium discussions where he had any personal connection.
Several of the new appointees have represented the Union and state governments in high-profile matters. Among them are Deputy Solicitor General Nandesh Deshpande, Chief Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegavkar, and advocates Sandesh Patil, Shreeram Shirsat, and Ashish Chavan.
The Bombay High Court, headquartered in Mumbai, also functions through benches in Nagpur, Goa, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and a recently opened circuit bench in Kolhapur. During the inauguration of the Kolhapur bench earlier this month, CJI Gavai stressed the need to increase the number of judges to make the bench permanent, even hinting at raising the sanctioned strength beyond 94 in the near future.
Earlier on August 19, three other advocates – Ajit Bhagwanrao Kadethankar, Sushil Manohar Ghodeswar, and Aarti Arun Sathe – had taken oath as Additional Judges, raising the strength of the High Court to 69 at that time. However, Sathe’s elevation had triggered criticism from the Opposition in Maharashtra due to her past role as a BJP spokesperson, with calls for maintaining judicial neutrality.
With the induction of these 14 new judges, the Bombay High Court is expected to see quicker disposal of pending cases and improved judicial capacity.
