SC Collegium recommends appointment of permanent judges in Bombay HC
New Delhi, May 19
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has recommended the appointment of six additional judges as permanent judges of the Bombay High Court.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the apex court Collegium said that in its meeting held on May 18, it approved the proposal for the appointment of Justices Nivedita Prakash Mehta, Prafulla Surendrakumar Khubalkar, Ashwin Damodar Bhobe, Rohit Wasudeo Joshi, Advait Mahendra Sethna, and Pravin Sheshrao Patil as permanent judges of the Bombay High Court.
"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 18th May, 2026 has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Additional Judges as Permanent Judges of High Court of Bombay: (i) Ms. Justice Nivedita Prakash Mehta, (ii) Shri Justice Prafulla Surendrakumar Khubalkar, (iii) Shri Justice Ashwin Damodar Bhobe, (iv) Shri Justice Rohit Wasudeo Joshi, (v) Shri Justice Advait Mahendra Sethna, and (vi) Shri Justice Pravin Sheshrao Patil," the statement said.
The Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts are appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution.
While recommending the appointment of an additional judge as a permanent judge, the Chief Justice of the High Court is required to furnish detailed statistics, including month-wise disposal of cases and judgments delivered by the judge concerned, as well as the number of cases reported in law journals. The data must also include information regarding the total number of working days, the number of days the judge actually attended court, and the days of absence during the relevant period for which disposal statistics are submitted.
In a separate development, the Supreme Court Collegium has also approved proposals for the appointment of 19 advocates and judicial officers as judges of the Madras High Court.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This collegium system keeps getting criticized, but at least it's functional. Mumbai matters a lot for commerce and corporate cases, so having experienced permanent judges will help. But I wish they'd also focus on digital infrastructure for virtual hearings. Yaar, Bandra court mein to wifi bhi nahi hai theek se!
Good news, but can we talk about the transparency issue? The criteria mentioned - disposal statistics, attendance records - are fine, but the process remains opaque. NJAC was struck down, but we need some reform in how these decisions are communicated to the public. That said, congratulations to the new judges! 👩⚖️
Interesting to see the detailed process behind judge appointments - month-wise disposal, law journal reports, attendance records. That level of data scrutiny is impressive. Also noteworthy that Madras HC is getting 19 new judges simultaneously. Indian judiciary needs more judges, period.
Arre finally! But why did it take so long? These additional judges were probably waiting for months. Our judicial system has a 33% vacancy rate in some HCs. Hope this sets a precedent for faster confirmations. Thoda speed chahiye bhai! ⏩
Having worked with Indian legal system on cross-border cases, I value bench stability. Permanent judges provide consistency in precedents and judgments. The inclusion of detailed performance metrics in the recommendation process is something other countries could learn from.
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