SC Collegium recommends elevation of Justice D K Upadhyaya as Chief Justice of Bombay HC

After the Central Government approves the SC Collegium recommendation, Justice Upadhyaya will be elevated as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.

The Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices S K Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna in its resolution proposed to appoint Justice Upadhyaya as CJ of Bombay HC.

Justice Upadhyaya was appointed as judge of the Allahabad HC on November 21, 2011, and is now a senior-most judge at the Allahabad HC after its CJ Pritinker Diwaker.

“He has been functioning there since his elevation and has acquired experience of more than 11 years in dispensing justice in the largest High Court in the country. On the appointment of Mr Justice Upadhyaya, the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad which is the largest High Court with a total judges strength of 160 would get adequate representation among the Chief Justices of High Courts,” the SC resolution reads.

It added, “Having regard to all relevant factors, the Collegium is of the considered view that Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya is fit and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay”.

The SC Collegium also said consultee judges have also concurred with the proposal of appointment of Justice Upadhyaya as CJ of the Bombay HC.

Born on June 16, 1965, Justice Upadhyaya graduated in law from Lucknow University in 1991 and enrolled as an advocate on May 11, 1991. He practised on civil and constitutional sides in the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench. He was elevated as its additional judge on November 21, 2011, and was made a permanent judge on August 6, 2013.

The SC Collegium also recommended the elevation of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur of the Bombay HC as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Justice Thakur was transferred from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court to Bombay High Court in June last year.

At present, the Bombay High Court functions with 66 judges, 40 permanent judges, and 26 additional judges. However, the sanctioned strength of the court, which is the second largest in the country after the Allahabad High Court, stands at 94.