SC Collegium recommends appointment Of new chief justice for Bombay HC

Bhushan P Dharmadhikari was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on February 24 following former Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog’s retirement.

The Supreme Court Collegium Saturday recommended appointment of Calcutta High Court judge Justice Dipankar Datta as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. A statement issued by the top court Collegium said it has recommended Justice Datta’s elevation on April 18. The Central government is yet to notify his appointment.

Incumbent Bombay HC Chief Justice, Bhushan P Dharmadhikari, who was sworn in on March 20, will serve a short tenure as he is due to retire on April 27. He was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on February 24 following former Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog’s retirement. Justice Dharmadhikari has served as Bombay High Court judge for nearly 16 years.

The second senior-most judge at the Calcutta High Court, Justice Datta was born in February 1965. Justice Datta obtained his LLB degree from the University of Calcutta in 1989. He enrolled as an advocate the same year and practised constitutional and civil cases in the Supreme Court and high courts. He has served as the junior standing counsel for the State of West Bengal between May 2002 and January 2004, and as a counsel for the Central Government since 1998. He was elevated as a permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court on June 22, 2006.