Collegium recommends appointment of 7 permanent judges in Bombay HC, extension of 2 judges’ term

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, has recommended the appointment of seven additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges and an extension of term of two additional judges for a year.

In April this year, the Collegium of the Bombay High Court forwarded its unanimous recommendations for appointment of additional judges viz Justices Yanshivraj Gopichand Khobragade, Mahendra Wadhumal Chandwani, Abhay Sopanrao Waghwase, Ravindra Madhusudan Joshi, Santosh Govindrao Chapalgaonkar, Milind Manohar Sathaye and Neela Kedar Gokhale, as permanent judges and for further extension of the term of Justices Sanjay Anandrao Deshmukh and Vrushali Vijay Joshi.

The SC Collegium said that it consulted other judges of the apex court who are conversant with the affairs of the Bombay High Court in terms of the Memorandum of Procedure to ascertain their suitability, adding that the committee of two judges of the Supreme Court constituted by the CJI rated the judgments of these additional judges “upto the mark”.

After scrutinising and evaluating the material placed on record and having considered all aspects of the matter, the SC Collegium found that Justices Khobragade, Chandwani, Waghwase, Joshi, Chapalgaonkar, Sathaye and Gokhale are fit and suitable for being appointed as permanent judges and recommended that Justices Deshmukh and Joshi be appointed as Additional Judges for a fresh term of one year with effect from October 7, 2024.

“The Chief Ministers and the Governors of the States of Maharashtra and Goa have concurred with the above recommendation,” said a statement uploaded on the website of the apex court.