In a significant development, six Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court were sworn in as Permanent Judges on Thursday following the Central Government’s approval of their appointments last week.
The judges who have now been confirmed as permanent are Justice Sanjay Deshmukh, Justice Vrushali Jadhav, Justice Abhay Mantri, Justice Shyam Chandak, Justice Neeraj Dhote, and Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan. The oath of office was administered at the respective benches where they are presently posted.
At the principal seat in Mumbai, Justices Chandak and Sundaresan are currently serving, while Justices Deshmukh, Mantri, and Dhote are posted at the Aurangabad Bench. Justice Jadhav is serving at the Nagpur Bench.
Justices Deshmukh and Jadhav were first appointed as Additional Judges on October 7, 2022. Justices Mantri, Chandak, and Dhote entered office on October 10, 2023, followed by Justice Sundaresan on November 28, 2023.
With the confirmation of their appointments, Justice Deshmukh is expected to receive an additional two-year term, Justice Mantri will continue for about six more years, and Justices Chandak and Dhote will serve for five more years. Justice Sundaresan is set to remain in office for over seven years.
It is noteworthy that, barring Justice Sundaresan, the other five judges come from the judicial service background.
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