PIB TrackerPresident makes six Bombay High Court additional judges permanent
On the advice of the collegium and after consulting the Chief Justice of India, the President confirmed six additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges.
What happened
- The President of India, exercising constitutional powers and after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, appointed six Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court as Permanent Judges.
- The six are Nivedita Prakash Mehta, Prafulla Surendrakumar Khubalkar, Ashwin Damodar Bhobe, Rohit Wasudeo Joshi, Advait Mahendra Sethna and Pravin Sheshrao Patil.
- The notification was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice (Department of Justice).
- Additional judges are appointed for a fixed term to clear temporary backlog; confirming them as permanent judges regularises their tenure up to the retirement age.
- The move follows the standard collegium route, under which the CJI and senior Supreme Court judges recommend names that the executive processes.
- It is a routine administrative appointment, but a clean illustration of how the higher-judiciary appointment machinery works.
For Prelims
- Article 217: governs the appointment and conditions of a High Court judge — appointed by the President after consultation with the CJI, the Governor, and (for a judge other than the Chief Justice) the Chief Justice of that High Court.
- Article 224: provides for additional and acting judges of a High Court — additional judges are appointed temporarily to handle a rising backlog; this release is their conversion to permanent.
- Retirement age: a High Court judge retires at 62 (Supreme Court: 65) — a frequently-tested pair.
- The collegium system: not mentioned in the Constitution; evolved through the Three Judges Cases (1981 S.P. Gupta; 1993 Second Judges Case; 1998 Third Judges Case), making the CJI-led collegium the recommending authority for higher-judiciary appointments.
- NJAC: the 99th Constitutional Amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015 as violating judicial independence — restoring the collegium; a high-yield linkage.
- Memorandum of Procedure (MoP): the document governing the practical steps of collegium appointments — a useful term to name.
- Bombay High Court note: one of India's oldest High Courts (est. 1862), with jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa and the UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
- Don't confuse: 'additional judge' (Art. 224, temporary) vs 'acting Chief Justice' (Art. 223) vs an ad hoc judge — distinct categories.
For UPSC: The President confirmed six additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges after consulting the CJI. Anchor the facts: HC judges are appointed under Article 217 and additional judges under Article 224; appointments run through the collegium (Three Judges Cases), with the NJAC struck down in 2015 — and recall the 62/65 HC/SC retirement ages.
What it is NOT: An 'additional judge' (Article 224) is a temporary appointment to clear backlog — NOT a junior rank; confirmation simply makes the tenure permanent. And the collegium is a judicial innovation, NOT a body named in the Constitution.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS2.6 · GS2.1 · Linkage L1
Anchor
The higher-judiciary appointment machinery in action — Article 217/224 read through the collegium system.
Substantiation (data)
Six Bombay HC additional judges confirmed permanent after CJI consultation; appointment under Art. 217, additional judges under Art. 224.
Exemplification
Use this as a clean, current example when explaining the collegium and HC-judge appointment process.
Problematisation
The collegium faces transparency and accountability criticism; judicial vacancies and backlog persist despite such appointments.
Way-forward
Operationalise a transparent Memorandum of Procedure, fill vacancies promptly, and balance judicial independence with accountability.
Position
The constitutional position: a judiciary-led, consultative appointment process safeguards judicial independence.
Deploys into: judiciary & appointments (Art. 217/224) · the collegium system & Three Judges Cases · NJAC and judicial independence · judicial vacancies/backlog (GS2.6 judiciary, GS2.1 Constitution).
Ministry of Law and Justice · 2026-06-06 · PRID 2269713 · PIB source ↗