Bombay High Court

Bombay High Court
Interactive map of Bombay High Court
18°55′52.26″N 72°49′49.66″E / 18.9311833°N 72.8304611°E / 18.9311833; 72.8304611
Established14 August 1862 (1862-08-14)
Jurisdiction
Location
Coordinates18°55′52.26″N 72°49′49.66″E / 18.9311833°N 72.8304611°E / 18.9311833; 72.8304611
Composition methodPresidential with confirmation of Chief Justice of India and Governor of respective state.
Authorised byConstitution of India
Judge term lengthMandatory retirement at age 62
Number of positions94
(71 permanent, 23 additional)
WebsiteOfficial website
Chief Justice
CurrentlyShree Chandrashekhar
Since5 September 2025

The Bombay High Court is the high court of the states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily at Mumbai (also known as Bombay), and is one of the oldest high courts in India.[1] The High Court has circuit benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Kolhapur in Maharashtra and at Porvorim in Goa.[1]

The first Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General of independent India were from this court. Since India's independence, 22 judges from this court have been elevated to the Supreme Court and 8 have been appointed to the office of Chief Justice of India.[2]

The court has original jurisdiction in addition to its appellate jurisdiction. Judgments issued by this court can be appealed only to the Supreme Court of India. The Bombay High Court has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges (71 permanent, 23 additional).[3] The building is part of The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai, which was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2018.

As of 2025, the Court is currently understaffed, with only 52 permanent and 16 additional judges.[3]

History and premises

The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on 14 August 1862 by letters patent issued by Queen Victoria, dated 26 June 1862, under powers granted by the Indian High Courts Act 1861.[4] It was one of the three High Courts in India established at the Presidency Towns, the others being Calcutta (capital of the Bengal Presidency) and Madras.

The work on the present building of the High Court was commenced in April 1871 and completed in November 1878. It was designed by British engineer Col. James A. Fuller. It is a Gothic Revival building in the Early English style. It is 562 feet (171 m) long and 187 feet (57 m) wide. To the west of the central tower are two octagonal towers. Statues of Justice and Mercy are atop this building. The first sitting in this building was on 10 January 1879.

Justice M. C. Chagla was the first Indian permanent Chief Justice of Bombay High Court after independence (1948–1958).

In 2016, it was announced that the premises of the Bombay High Court would be shifting to Bandra Kurla Complex.

The 125th anniversary of the building was marked by the release of a book, commissioned by the Bar Association, called The Bombay High Court: The Story of the Building – 1878–2003 by local historians Rahul Mehrotra and Sharada Dwivedi.

Name of the court

Although the name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, the court as an institution did not follow suit and retained the name Bombay High Court. Although, a bill[5] to rename it as Mumbai High Court was approved by the Union Cabinet on 5 July 2016, along with the change of name of the Calcutta High Court and Madras High Court as Kolkata High Court and Chennai High Court respectively, the same is pending approval before the Parliament of India but may not be enacted for some time.[6][7]

Principal seat and benches

The court has jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra, Goa and the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The court has benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji. Bombay High Court will set up its fourth bench in Kolhapur from August 18, 2025.[8]

Bench Judge strength Territorial jurisdiction
Bombay(Principal) 30 Mumbai (City), Mumbai (Suburban), Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Pune, Raigad, Dadra & Nagar Haveli at Silvassa, Daman, Diu.
Aurangabad 18 Chh. Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, Beed, Dhule, Jalna, Jalgaon, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv, Parbhani, Nandurbar, Hingoli
Nagpur 17 Nagpur, Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Washim
Kolhapur 04 Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Solapur
Panaji 04 North Goa (Panaji), South Goa (Margao)
Total 74*

*TBC

Nagpur bench

Nagpur is an industrial and commercial city situated in the centre of India. Formerly, it was the capital of the former State of CP & Berar, later old Madhya Pradesh and now it is the sub-capital of the State of Maharashtra.[9] A full-fledged High Court was established at Nagpur on 9 January 1936 and contracted by Sir Sobha Singh.[10] Later it was included as a separate bench in the Bombay High Court jurisdiction after the formation of the state of Maharashtra in 1960.

History

Sir Gilbert Stone, a Judge of the Madras High Court was appointed as first Chief Justice. The foundation stone of the new building (present High Court building) was laid by late Sir Hyde Gowan on 9–1–1937. The building was designed by Mr. H.A.N. Medd, Resident Architect. It was constructed at a cost of Rs.737,746/-.The building consisted of two stories with a garden courtyard in the centre. The outside dimensions are 400 ft x 230 ft. The original design provided for a main central dome rising 109 feet above ground land, the remainder of the building being approximately 52 feet in height. The building has been constructed with sandstone. The building has Ashlar stone facing and brick hearting. The flooring in the corridors and offices is of Sikosa and Shahabad flag stones. The building is declared open on 6 January 1940. On the opening ceremony the Viceroy of India described this building as a poem in stone. The High Court has a fairly well planned garden on the eastern as well as western sides.

The High Court of Judicature at Nagpur continued to be housed in this building till the reorganisation of states in 1956. With effect from 1–11–1956, eight Marathi speaking districts of Vidarbha formed part of the greater bilingual State of Bombay which came into existence. Remaining fourteen Hindi speaking districts of the former State of Madhya Pradesh became part of the newly constituted State of Madhya Pradesh with the capital at Bhopal. The High Court of Madhya Pradesh was treated as the successor of the former High Court at Nagpur.

New building

A bench of the High Court at Bombay began to sit in this building at Nagpur with effect from 1-11-1956 and continues to do so even after the formation of the State of Maharashtra on 1–5–1960. During the year 1960 the strength of this Bench consisted of four Honourable Judges.

The extension of High Court building consists of two annex buildings on both sides of the existing building viz., North and South Wings. For this Government of Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs. 1,2,926,605/- on dated 21 March 1983. 'South Wing' houses various utilities for the public, i.e. litigants and the Bar as well as High Court Government Pleader's Establishment including Standing Counsel for Central Government and 'A Panel Counsels, and also for the establishment. In the North Wing, it is proposed to accommodate additional Court Halls, Chambers of the Hobble Judges, Judges' Library and the office.

Presently, the strength of this Bench consists of 10 Honourable Judges and total employees are 412.

Aurangabad bench

The Aurangabad bench was established in 1982. Initially, only a few districts of Maharashtra were under the Aurangabad bench. Subsequently, in 1988, Ahmednagar & other districts were attached to the bench. The bench at Aurangabad has more than 13 judges. The jurisdiction of the Aurangabad Bench is over Aurangabad, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalna, Jalgaon, Beed, Parbhani, Latur & Osmanabad. The bench also has a Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa office. The present building of bench is situated in huge premises. The garden is beautifully maintained. Lush green grass invites the attention of any passerby. The HC bench at Aurangabad is approximately 4 km from the Aurangabad Airport and around 6 km from the central bus stand. The new building has 13 court halls in all now including two new ones. All the court halls are on the first floor of the building, while the registry of the Court is on the ground floor. The Aurangabad bench has a strong Bar of more than 1000 advocates, but the Aurangabad bench does not have jurisdiction over company law matters.

The Aurangabad Bench celebrated its 28th anniversary on 27 August 2009.

History

Due to the continued demand of the people of Marathwada region for the establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court at Aurangabad under sub-section (2) of Sec. 51 of the Act, the State Government first took up the issue with the then Chief Justice R. M. Kantawala in 1977. On 22 March 1978, the State Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution supporting a demand for the establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court at Aurangabad to the effect : "With a view to save huge expenses and to reduce the inconvenience of the people of the Marathwada and Pune regions in connection with legal proceedings, this Assembly recommends to the Government to make a request to the President to establish a permanent Bench of the Bombay High Court having jurisdiction in Marathwada and Pune regions, one at Aurangabad and the other at Pune."

The said demand for the constitution of a permanent Bench of the High Court at Aurangabad was supported by the State Bar Council of Maharashtra, the Advocates' Association of Western India, several bar associations and people in general. It is necessary here to mention that the resolution as originally moved made a demand for the setting up of a permanent Bench of the High Court of Bombay at Aurangabad for the Marathwada region, and there was, no reference to Pune which was added by way of amendment. Initially, the State Government recommended to the Central Government in 1978 to establish two permanent Benches under sub-sec. (2) of Section 51 of the Act, one at Aurangabad and the other at Pune, but later in 1981 confined its recommendation to Aurangabad alone.

The State Government thereafter took a Cabinet decision in January 1981 to establish a permanent Bench of the High Court at Aurangabad and this was conveyed by the Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra, Law & Judiciary Department, communicated by his letter dated 3 February 1981 to the Registrar and he was requested, with the permission of the Chief Justice, to submit proposals regarding accommodation for the Court and residential bungalows for the Judges, staff, furniture, etc. necessary for setting up the Bench. As a result of this communication, the Chief Justice wrote to the Chief Minister on 26 February 1981 signifying his consent to the establishment of a permanent Bench at Aurangabad. After adverting to the fact that his predecessors had opposed such a move and had indicated, amongst other things, that such a step involved, as it does, breaking up of the integrity of the institution and the Bar, which would necessarily impair the quality and quantity of the disposals.

It, however, became evident by the middle of June 1981 that the Central Government would take time in reaching a decision on the proposal for the establishment of a permanent Bench under sub-sec. (2) of Section 51 of the Act at Aurangabad as the question involved a much larger issue, viz. the principles to be adopted and the criterion laid down for the establishment of permanent Benches of High Courts generally. This meant that there would be an inevitable delay in securing the concurrence of the Central Government and the issuance of a Presidential Notification under sub-sec. (2) of S. 51 of the Act. On 19 June 1981, the State Government accordingly took a Cabinet decision pending the establishment of a permanent Bench under sub-sec. (2) of S. 51 of the Act at Aurangabad for the Marathwada region, resort be had to the provisions of sub-section (3) thereof. On 20 June 1981, the Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra, Law & Judiciary Department wrote to the Registrar stating that there was a possibility of a delay in securing concurrence of the Central Government and the issuance of a notification by the President under subsection (2) of S. 51 of the Act for the establishment of a permanent Bench at Auangabad and in order to tide over the difficulty, the provisions of sub-sec. (3) of Section 51 of the Act may be resorted to and he, therefore, requested the Chief Justice to favour the Government With his views on the matter at an early date. On 5 July 1981, the Law Secretary waited on the Chief Justice in that connection. On 7 July 1981 the Chief Justice wrote a letter to the Chief Minister in which he stated that the Law Secretary had conveyed to him the decision of the State Government to have a Circuit Bench at Auangabad under sub-sec. (3) of Section 51 pending the decision of the Central Government to establish a permanent Bench there under sub-section (2) of S. 51 of the Act. The Chief Justice then added: "I agree that some such step is necessary in view of the preparations made by the Government at huge costs and the mounting expectations of the people there."

Formation

On 20 July 1981, the Law Secretary addressed a letter to the Registrar requesting him to forward, with the permission of the Chief Justice, a proposal as is required under sub-section (3) of S. 51 for the setting up of a Bench at Auangabad . In reply to the same, the Registrar by his letter dated 24 July 1981 conveyed that the Chief Justice agreed with the suggestion of the State Government that action had to be taken under sub-section (3) of S. 51 of the Act for which the approval of the Governor was necessary and he enclosed a copy of the draft order which the Chief Justice proposed to issue under sub-section (3) of S. 51 of the Act. On 10 Aug. 1981, the Law Secretary conveyed to the Registrar the approval of the Governor. On 27 Aug. 1981, the Chief Justice issued an order under sub-section (3) of S. 51 of the Act to the effect: "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of S. 51 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (No. 37 of 1956) and all other powers enabling him on this behalf, the Hon'ble the Chief Justice, with the approval of the Governor of Maharashtra, is pleased to appoint Aurangabad as a place at which the Hon'ble Judges and Division Courts of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay may also sit." This is the history of how the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court was constituted. The Constitution of the Bench by The Hon’ble Chief Justice V.S.Deshpande then came to be challenged before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The Petition filed by the State of Maharashtra was allowed and the people's aspirations from Marathwada were recognized. The Judgment is a reported one (State of Maharashtra v. Narain Shyamrao Puranik) in AIR 1983 Supreme Court 46.

Goa bench

When the High Court of Bombay constituted a bench in Porvorim, Goa, Justice G.F Couto was appointed its first Goan permanent judge. Justice G.D. Kamath was appointed as judge in 1983 and later in 1996 as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court. Justice E.S da Silva was elevated in 1990 and was a judge of this court till his retirement in 1995. Justice R.K. Batta and Justice R.M.S. Khandeparkar were Judges of the Goa bench for 8 and 12 years respectively. Justice F.I Rebello, was appointed Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in 2010 and retired in 2011. Justice Nelson Britto was Judge for five years. Justice A.P Lavande, Justice F.M.Reis, and Justice M.S. Sonak, were senior lawyers who practiced in the Goa Bench before their elevation. Presently Goa has one lady judge, Justice Anuja Prabhudesai. Justice A Prabhudesai and retired Justice Nutan Sardesai who were both District Judges.

History

Prior to the annexation of Goa, Daman and Diu the highest Court for the then Portuguese State of India was the Tribunal da Relação de Goa functioning at Panjim. Originally established in 1554, the Relação de Goa used to serve as the high court of appeal for all the Portuguese East Indies territories of the Indian Ocean and the Far East, including what are now Mozambique, Macau and East Timor, besides India itself. The Relação de Goa was abolished when a Court of Judicial Commissioner was established w.e.f. 16 December 1963 under Goa-Daman & Diu (Judicial Commissioner Court) Regulation, 1963. In May 1964 an Act was passed by the Parliament which conferred upon the Court of Judicial Commissioner, some powers of the High Court for the purposes of the Constitution of India.

Parliament by an Act extended the jurisdiction of High Court at Bombay to the Union territory of Goa Daman & Diu and established a permanent Bench of that High Court at Panaji on 30.10.1982

From its inception, the Hon'ble Shri Justice Dr. G.F.Couto who was at that time acting Judicial Commissioner was elevated to the Bench of High Court of Bombay. The Hon'ble Shri Justice G.D.Kamat was elevated to the Bench on 29.8.1983.

With the passing of Goa, Daman & Re-organization Act, 1987 by the Parliament conferring Statehood to Goa, the High Court of Bombay became the common High Court for the states of Maharashtra and Goa and the Union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu w.e.f. 30.5.1987.

First Relocation

The High Court was shifted from the old building of Tribunal da Relação to Lyceum Complex at Altinho, Panaji and started functioning there from 3.11.1997. The main building at the said Complex, constructed in the year 1925 by the Portuguese Government, was renovated by the Goa state government and inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Shri M.B.Shah on 2.10.1997.The Hon'ble Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Shri Y. K. Sabharwal, inaugurated the 2nd building on 9.9.1999. Both these buildings now house several departments of the Bombay high court – panaji bench.

Second Relocation

Due to the space crunch in the lyseum complex, a new building complex is being built in alto – betim porvorim region in Porvorim. The new building was inaugurated on 27 March 2021.[11] The first court hearing in the new building was presided on by the divisional bench composed of Chief Justice of the Bombay high court Dipankar Datta and Justice Mahesh Sonak on 17 August 2021.[12]

Kolhapur Bench

The Bombay High Court got a new circuit bench in Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra, with its sittings commencing on August 18. The establishment of this bench made it the fourth such bench for the High Court in the state.

A notification in this regard was issued on Friday, August 01, 2025 by High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe.

"I, Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the High Court at Bombay, with the approval of the Governor of Maharashtra, appoint Kolhapur as a place at which Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may also sit, with effect from August 18, 2025," the notification said.[13]

The new Bench is likely to have jurisdiction over six districts — Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg (last two located in coastal Konkan region).

Sesquicentennial celebrations

In 2010, the High Court organized several functions to mark the completion of 150 years of the establishment of the High Court. A special postal cover was released by Milind Deora, the then Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology at the historical Central Court Hall of the High Court on 14 August 2012.

An exhibition displaying important artifacts, royal charters, stamps, old maps and other documents of historical importance was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, in the Central Court Hall on 15 August 2012. The then Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Chief Guest at the concluding ceremony of the year-long Sesquicentennial celebrations on 18 August 2012.[14]

A book titled A Heritage of Judging: The Bombay High Court through one hundred and fifty years, edited by Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Anoop V. Mohta and Roshan S. Dalvi was published by the Maharashtra Judicial Academy.[15]

Famous cases

In its illustrious history, the Bombay High Court has been the site for numerous noteworthy trials and court cases. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was tried a number of times in the Bombay High Court, but the most famous was his trial for sedition in the 1916 case Emperor v. Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Controversies

Bar Council had boycotted some judges of the High Court in 1991 under the leadership of Senior Counsel Iqbal Chagla.[16] In 2011, a couple of petitions came to be filed challenging housing societies built by judges upon plots of land reserved for other purposes.[17]

In November 2021, the Bombay High Court issued a controversial criminal case against AstraZeneca for misinformation and misleading claims regarding the safety of their vaccines. The suit claims this misinformation is responsible for the death of the afflicted. Some rumors appeared that the suit was against Bill Gates for partial funding of AstraZeneca, but these rumors were fake. The suit is addressed to both The State of Maharashtra and AstraZeneca.[18]

In February 2022, Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala, an additional judge, was forced to resign, after a series of poor judgements in cases related to sexual assault.[19][20] As a result of her judgements, Ganediwala was denied elevation and was not made permanent, after the Supreme Court stated decided that she would be demoted to district judiciary.[21]

In June 2024, the Bombay High Court passed an order to release Vedant Agarwal, a minor teenager, after he was involved in a hit and run case while driving a Porsche Taycan under influence of alcohol in Pune, killing 2 software engineers, under care and custody of his maternal aunt.[22][23] The order received backlash from a victim's mother and from the public.[24]

In March 2025, the Bombay High Court reduced sentence of a convicted rapist from life imprisonment to 10 years for the rape of a 1.5 year old. The judgement received extensive backlash from legal experts and former judges, as the case fell under the purview of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which was enacted to ensure harsh punishment for culprits involved in sexual assault of minor children.[25]

During the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict that occurred after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the Bombay High Court was criticized for granting bail to an engineering student Khadija Sheikh, after she posted about criticism of Operation Sindoor on social media and expressed support for Pakistan.[26] Sheikh was expelled from the institution and faced criminal charges for her Pro-Pakistan posts that were deleted later, which she petitioned to be revoked in court during her bail application.[27]

On 21 July 2025, the Bombay High Court acquitted 12 accused involved in the 2006 terror attacks on Mumbai Suburban Railway and refused to confirm the death sentence of 5 among the accused.[28] The acquittal sparked backlash among the victims and police officers who investigated the attack, including former ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi, as the bench of judges stated that the evidence relied on by the prosecution was not conclusive to convict the accused and ordered the immediate release.[29] The Maharashtra Government filed an appeal with the Supreme Court following the verdict.[30]

Chief Justice and Judges

The Bombay High Court sits at Mumbai, the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and has additional benches in Aurangabad and Nagpur and Kolhapur Maharashtra, as well as Panaji in the state of Goa. It may have a maximum of 94 judges, of which 71 must be permanently appointed and 23 may be additionally appointed. Currently, it has a total of 66 Judges.[31]

See also: List of sitting judges of High Courts of India § Bombay High Court

Former Chief Justices

No. Judge Term start Term end
Supreme Court of Bombay
1 William Syer [32] 1798 Died 1802
2 James Mackintosh[33] 1803
3 John Henry Newbolt 1811
4 Alexander Anstruther[33] 1812 Died 1819
5 D. Evans[33] 1820 Died 1821
6 Edward West[33][34][35] 1822 Became Chief Justice of Supreme Court, 1823
1823 first year was in the Recorder's Court
7 James Dewar[34] 1829
8 Herbert Abingdon Draper Compton[34] 1831
9 John Wither Awdry[34] 1839
10 Henry Roper[34] 1840
11 David Pollock[34] 1846
12 Thomas Erskine Perry[34] 1847
13 William Yardley[35] 1852
14 Matthew Richard Sausse[35] 1859 13 August 1862
Bombay High Court
1 Matthew Richard Sausse 14 August 1862 1866
2 Richard Couch 3 March 1866 1870
3 Michael Roberts Westropp 1870 1882
4 Charles Sargent 1882 July 1895
5 Charles Frederick Farran July 1895 9 September 1898
6 Louis Addin Kershaw 12 November 1898 17 February 1899
7 Lawrence Hugh Jenkins 20 April 1899 14 March 1909
8 Basil Scott 1909 1919
9 Norman Cranstoun Macleod 1919 1926
10 Amberson Barrington Marten June 1926 June 1930
11 John William Fisher Beaumont June 1930 29 September 1943
12 Leonard Stone 30 September 1943 15 August 1947
13 Mahommedali Currim Chagla 3 January 1948 26 October 1958
14 Hashmatrai Khubchand Chainani 27 October 1958 28 November 1965
15 Yeshwant Shripad Tambe 7 February 1966 31 July 1966
16 Sohrab Peshotan Kotval 1 August 1966 27 September 1972
17 Kapil Kalyandas Desai 28 September 1972 27 October 1972
18 Ramanlal Maneklal Kantawala 28 October 1972 5 October 1978
19 Balkrishna Narhar Deshmukh 6 October 1978 18 November 1980
20 Venkat Shrinivas Deshpande 12 January 1981 10 August 1982
21 Dinshah Pirosha Madon 31 August 1982 14 March 1983
22 Madhukar Narhar Chandurkar 15 March 1983 2 April 1984
23 Konda Madhava Reddy 8 April 1984 21 October 1985
24 Madhukar Hiralal Kania 23 June 1986 30 April 1987
25 Chittatosh Mookerjee 2 November 1987 1 January 1991
26 Prabodh Dinkarrao Desai 7 January 1991 14 December 1992
27 Manoj Kumar Mukherjee 9 January 1993 14 December 1993
28 Sujata Manohar 15 January 1994 20 April 1994
29 Anandamoy Bhattacharjee 21 April 1994 1 April 1995
30 Manharlal Bhikhalal Shah 2 August 1995 8 December 1998
31 Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal 3 February 1999 28 January 2000
32 Bisheshwar Prasad Singh 31 March 2000 13 December 2001
33 Chunilal Karsandas Thakker 31 December 2001 6 June 2004
34 Dalveer Bhandari 25 July 2004 27 October 2005
35 Kshitij Rameshbhai Vyas 25 February 2006 18 July 2006
36 Harjit Singh Bedi 3 October 2006 11 January 2007
37 Swatanter Kumar 31 March 2007 17 December 2009
38 Anil Ramesh Dave 11 February 2010 29 April 2010
39 Mohit Shantilal Shah 26 June 2010 8 September 2015
40 Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela 15 February 2016 10 August 2016
41 Manjula Chellur 22 August 2016 4 December 2017
42 Naresh Harishchandra Patil 29 October 2018 6 April 2019
43 Pradeep Nandrajog 7 April 2019 23 February 2020
44 Bhushan Pradyumna Dharmadhikari 20 March 2020 27 April 2020
45 Dipankar Datta 28 April 2020 11 December 2022
46 Ramesh Deokinandan Dhanuka 28 May 2023 30 May 2023
47 Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya 29 July 2023 20 January 2025
48 Alok Aradhe 21 January 2025 28 August 2025
49 Shree Chandrashekhar 5 September 2025 Incumbent

Judges elevated as Chief Justice

This sections contains list of only those judges elevated as chief justices whose parent high court is Bombay. This includes those judges who, at the time of appointment as chief justice, may not be serving in Bombay High Court but this list does not include judges who at the time of appointment as chief justice were serving in Bombay High Court but does not have Bombay as their Parent High Court.

Name Image Appointed as CJ in HC of Date of appointment Date of retirement[a] Tenure Ref..
As Judge As Chief Justice As Chief Justice As Judge[b]
Richard Couch Bombay, transferred to Calcutta 14 August 1862 3 March 1866 5 April 1875[RES] 9 years, 34 days 12 years, 235 days [36]
Michael Roberts Westropp Bombay 1863 1870 1882 [37]
Charles Sargent Bombay 1866 1882 July 1895 [38]
Charles Frederick Farran Bombay 1890 July 1895 9 September 1898[†] [36]
Arthur Strachey Allahabad 1895 12 November 1898 14 May 1901[†] 2 years, 184 days
Norman Cranstoun Macleod Bombay 1910 1919 1926
Amberson Barrington Marten Bombay 1916 June 1926 17 June 1930[RES]
Mahommedali Currim Chagla Bombay 5 August 1941 3 January 1948 26 October 1958[RES] 10 years, 291 days 17 years, 77 days
Eric Weston Punjab & Haryana 1943 21 January 1950 8 December 1952 2 years, 323 days
Hashmatrai Khubchand Chainani Bombay 28 August 1948 27 October 1958 28 November 1965[†] 7 years, 33 days 17 years, 93 days [39]
Sunderlal Trikamlal Desai Gujarat 1952 1 May 1960 25 January 1961 270 days [40]
Kantilal Thakoredas Desai Gujarat 6 January 1957 26 January 1961 22 May 1963 2 years, 117 days 6 years, 137 days
Jaishanker Manilal Shelat Gujarat 31 May 1963 23 February 1966[‡] 2 years, 269 days 9 years, 49 days
Nomanbhai Mahmedbhai Miabhoy Gujarat 22 March 1957 21 April 1966 5 September 1967 1 year, 138 days 10 years, 168 days [41]
Kapil Kalyandas Desai Bombay 18 August 1958 28 September 1972 27 October 1972 30 days 14 years, 71 days [36]
Ramanlal Maneklal Kantawala Bombay 9 February 1962 28 October 1972 5 October 1978 5 years, 343 days 16 years, 239 days
Balkrishna Narhar Deshmukh Bombay 7 June 1965 6 October 1978 18 November 1980 2 years, 44 days 15 years, 165 days [42]
Venkat Shrinivas Deshpande Bombay 11 June 1967 12 January 1981 10 August 1982 1 year, 211 days 15 years, 61 days
Dinshah Pirosha Madon Bombay 25 September 1967 31 August 1982 14 March 1983[‡] 196 days 15 years, 171 days
Madhukar Narhar Chandurkar Bombay, transferred to Madras 28 October 1967 15 March 1983 13 March 1988 4 years, 365 days 20 years, 138 days
Madhukar Hiralal Kania Bombay 4 November 1969 23 June 1986 30 April 1987[‡] 312 days 17 years, 178 days
Subhash Chhaganlal Pratap Andhra Pradesh 19 September 1977 5 April 1991 1 November 1992 1 year, 211 days 15 years, 44 days [43]
Sam Piroj Bharucha Karnataka 1 November 1991 30 June 1992[‡] 243 days 14 years, 286 days
Sujata Manohar Bombay, transferred to Kerala 23 January 1978 15 January 1994 4 November 1994[‡] 294 days 16 years, 289 days
Madhav Laxman Pendse Karnataka 25 January 1978 28 July 1995 25 March 1996[RES] 242 days 18 years, 61 days [44]
Sudhakar Panditrao Kurdukar Punjab & Haryana 25 April 1978 16 January 1994 27 March 1996[‡] 2 years, 72 days 17 years, 339 days
Vallabhdas Aidan Mohta Orissa 27 April 1979 28 September 1994 25 April 1995 210 days 15 years, 364 days [45]
Gurudas Datta Kamat Gujarat 29 August 1983 2 July 1996 4 January 1997 187 days 13 years, 129 days [36]
Ashok Chhotelal Agarwal Madras 21 November 1986 24 May 1999 26 August 1999 95 days 12 years, 279 days
Sam Nariman Variava Delhi 25 May 1999 14 March 2000[‡] 295 days 13 years, 115 days
Ashok Desai Uttarakhand 6 December 2000 31 March 2003[RES] 2 years, 116 days 16 years, 131 days
Arvind Vinayakarao Savant Kerala 30 July 1990 30 May 2000 16 September 2000 110 days 10 years, 49 days [46]
Bellur Narayanswamy Srikrishna Kerala 7 September 2001 1 October 2002[‡] 1 year, 25 days 12 years, 65 days [36]
Sarosh Homi Kapadia Uttarakhand 8 October 1991 5 August 2003 17 December 2003[‡] 135 days 12 years, 71 days
Vikas Sridhar Sirpurkar Uttarakhand, transferred to Calcutta 9 November 1992 25 July 2004 11 January 2007[‡] 2 years, 171 days 14 years, 64 days
Ajit Prakash Shah Madras, transferred to Delhi 18 December 1992 12 November 2005 12 February 2010 4 years, 93 days 17 years, 57 days
Hemant Laxman Gokhale Allahabad, transferred to Madras 20 January 1994 7 March 2007 28 April 2010[‡] 3 years, 53 days 16 years, 100 days
Jai Narayan Patel Calcutta 11 March 1996 26 June 2010 4 October 2012 2 years, 101 days 16 years, 208 days
Ferdino Inacio Rebello Allahabad 15 April 1996 30 July 2011 1 year, 35 days 15 years, 107 days
Sharad Arvind Bobde Madhya Pradesh 29 March 2000 16 October 2012 11 April 2013[‡] 178 days 13 years, 14 days
Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar Himachal Pradesh, transferred to Madhya Pradesh 4 April 2013 12 May 2016[‡] 3 years, 39 days 16 years, 45 days
Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud Allahabad 31 October 2013 12 May 2016[‡] 2 years, 195 days 16 years, 45 days
Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale Allahabad 22 January 2001 30 July 2016 23 October 2018 2 years, 86 days 17 years, 275 days [47]
Shiavax Jal Vazifdar Punjab & Haryana 7 August 2016 3 May 2018 1 year, 270 days 17 years, 102 days [36]
Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani Madras 26 June 2001 12 August 2018 6 September 2019[RES] 1 year, 26 days 18 years, 73 days
Naresh Harishchandra Patil Bombay 12 October 2001 29 October 2018 6 April 2019 160 days 17 years, 177 days [48]
Abhay Shreeniwas Oka Karnataka 29 August 2003 10 May 2019 30 August 2021[‡] 2 years, 113 days 18 years, 2 days
Bhushan Pradyumna Dharmadhikari Bombay 15 March 2004 20 March 2020 27 April 2020 39 days 16 years, 44 days [49]
Ranjit Vasantrao More Meghalaya 8 September 2006 12 October 2021 3 November 2021 23 days 15 years, 57 days
Amjad Ahtesham Sayed Himachal Pradesh 11 April 2007 23 June 2022 20 January 2023 212 days 15 years, 285 days [50]
Sambhaji Shiwaji Shinde Rajasthan 17 March 2008 21 June 2022 1 August 2022 42 days 14 years, 138 days
Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale Karnataka 18 July 2008 15 October 2022 24 January 2024[‡] 1 year, 102 days 15 years, 190 days
Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala Madras 13 March 2010 28 May 2023 23 May 2024 362 days 14 years, 72 days
Ramesh Deokinandan Dhanuka Bombay 23 January 2012 28 May 2023 30 May 2023 3 days 11 years, 128 days
Nitin Madhukar Jamdar Kerala 26 September 2024 9 January 2026 1 year, 106 days 13 years, 352 days
Kalpathi Rajendran Shriram Madras, transferred to Rajasthan 21 June 2013 27 September 2024 27 September 2025 1 year, 1 day 12 years, 99 days
Revati Mohite Dere Meghalaya 10 January 2026 Incumbent 74 days 12 years, 277 days
Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak Jharkhand 9 January 2026 75 days 12 years, 277 days
  1. ^ this inlcudes date of resignation, death and Elevation to supreme court
  2. ^ also includes tenure as Chief Justice

Judges elevated to Supreme Court

This section includes the list of only those judges whose parent high court was Bombay. This includes those judges who, at the time of elevation to Supreme Court of India, may not be serving in Bombay High Court but this list does not include judges who at the time of elevation were serving in Bombay High Court but does not have Bombay as their Parent High Court.

  Served as Chief Justice of India
# Name of the Judge Image Date of Appointment Date of Retirement Tenure Immediately preceding office
In Parent High Court In Supreme Court In High Court(s) In Supreme Court Total tenure[a]
1 Harilal Jekisundas Kania June 1933 20 June 1946[b] 6 November 1951[†] 5 years, 140 days Judge of Bombay HC
2 Natwarlal Harilal Bhagwati August 1944 8 September 1952 6 June 1959 6 years, 272 days Judge of Bombay HC
3 Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar 6 March 1945 17 January 1957 15 March 1966 11 years, 317 days 9 years, 58 days 21 years, 10 days Judge of Bombay HC
4 Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah 1 March 1949 12 October 1959 21 January 1971 10 years, 225 days 11 years, 102 days 21 years, 327 days Judge of Bombay HC
5 Jaishanker Manilal Shelat 6 January 1957 24 February 1966 30 April 1973[RES] 9 years, 49 days 7 years, 66 days 16 years, 115 days 3rd CJ of Gujarat HC
6 Devidas Ganpat Palekar 14 October 1961 19 July 1971 3 September 1974 9 years, 278 days 3 years, 47 days 12 years, 325 days Judge of Bombay HC
7 Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud 19 March 1961 28 August 1972 11 July 1985 11 years, 162 days 12 years, 318 days 24 years, 115 days Judge of Bombay HC
8 Vidyaranya Dattatreya Tulzapurkar 21 December 1963 30 September 1977 9 March 1986 13 years, 283 days 8 years, 161 days 22 years, 79 days Judge of Bombay HC
9 Dinshah Pirosha Madon 25 September 1967 15 March 1983 6 April 1986 15 years, 171 days 3 years, 23 days 18 years, 194 days 21st CJ of Bombay HC
10 Madhukar Hiralal Kania 4 November 1969 1 May 1987 17 November 1992 17 years, 178 days 5 years, 201 days 23 years, 14 days 24th CJ of Bombay HC
11 Parshuram Babaram Sawant 29 March 1973 6 October 1989 29 June 1995 16 years, 191 days 5 years, 267 days 22 years, 93 days Judge of Bombay HC
12 Sam Piroj Bharucha 19 September 1977 1 July 1992 5 May 2002 14 years, 286 days 9 years, 309 days 24 years, 229 days 13th CJ of Karnataka HC
13 Sujata Manohar 23 January 1978 8 November 1994 27 August 1999 16 years, 289 days 4 years, 293 days 21 years, 217 days 14th CJ of Kerala HC
14 Sudhakar Panditrao Kurdukar 25 April 1978 29 March 1996 15 January 2000 17 years, 339 days 3 years, 293 days 21 years, 266 days 22nd CJ of Punjab & Haryana HC
15 Sam Nariman Variava 21 November 1986 15 March 2000 7 November 2005 13 years, 115 days 5 years, 238 days 18 years, 352 days 19th CJ of Delhi HC
16 Bellur Narayanswamy Srikrishna 30 July 1990 3 October 2002 20 May 2006 12 years, 65 days 3 years, 230 days 15 years, 295 days 21st CJ of Kerala HC
17 Sarosh Homi Kapadia 8 October 1991 18 December 2003 28 September 2012 12 years, 71 days 8 years, 286 days 20 years, 357 days 2nd CJ of Uttarakhand HC
18 Vikas Sridhar Sirpurkar 9 November 1992 12 January 2007 21 August 2011 14 years, 64 days 4 years, 228 days 18 years, 286 days 32nd CJ of Calcutta HC
19 Hemant Laxman Gokhale 20 January 1994 30 April 2010 10 March 2014 16 years, 100 days 3 years, 315 days 20 years, 50 days 35th CJ of Madras HC
20 Ranjana Prakash Desai 15 April 1996 13 September 2011 29 October 2014 15 years, 151 days 3 years, 47 days 18 years, 198 days Judge of Bombay HC
21 Sharad Arvind Bobde 29 March 2000 12 April 2013 23 April 2021 13 years, 14 days 8 years, 12 days 21 years, 26 days 21st CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC
22 Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar 29 March 2000 13 May 2016 29 July 2022 16 years, 45 days 6 years, 78 days 22 years, 123 days 22nd CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC
23 Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud 29 March 2000 13 May 2016 10 November 2024 16 years, 45 days 8 years, 182 days 24 years, 227 days 44th CJ of Allahabad HC
24 Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai 14 November 2003 24 May 2019 23 November 2025 15 years, 191 days 6 years, 184 days 22 years, 10 days Judge of Bombay HC
25 Abhay Shreeniwas Oka 29 August 2003 31 August 2021 24 May 2025 18 years, 2 days 3 years, 267 days 21 years, 269 days 30th CJ of Karnataka HC
26 Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale 18 July 2008 25 January 2024 Incumbent 15 years, 190 days 2 years, 59 days 17 years, 250 days 32nd CJ of Karnataka HC
27 Atul Sharachchandra Chandurkar 21 June 2013 30 May 2025 11 years, 342 days 299 days 12 years, 277 days Judge of Bombay HC
  1. ^ Includes both tenure as High Court Judge as well as Supreme Court Judge
  2. ^ Elevated to the Federal Court of India on 20 June 1946, and became part of the Supreme Court of India after its establishment on 26 January 1950.

Case information

The Case Status and Causelists of Bombay High Court is available on its official website at www.bombayhighcourt.nic.in. The orders and judgments from the year 2005 are also available on the website.

As of March 2012 the High Court has 315,988 civil cases and 45,960 criminal cases pending. At the same time, the District and subordinate courts under the Bombay High Court have a total of 3,179,475 pending cases.[51]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bombay High Court.

References

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  2. ^ "UPA is committed to improving justice delivery system, says Manmohan at Mumbai HC". The Hindu. 18 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b "List of High Court Judges: Bombay High Court". Ministry of Law & Justice. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025. Approved Judge Strength: 94 [Pmt.: 71 Addl.: 23]
  4. ^ "History: The Bombay High Court". High Court of Bombay. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  5. ^ "High Court Alteration of Names Bill, 2016" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Change of the name of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta HC". 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Names of Calcutta, Madras, Bombay HCs may not change in near future: Govt". Indian Express. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Kolhapur to get fourth bench of Bombay High Court from August 18". Hindustan Times. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Bombay High Court_Nagpur Bench-Official Web site". Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  10. ^ Roopa-lekhā. All-India Fine Arts and Crafts Society. 1968.
  11. ^ "New Building of High Court of Bombay at Goa Inaugurated". Department of Information and Publicity, Government of Goa. 27 March 2021.
  12. ^ "High court to start hearings at new premises | Goa News – Times of India". The Times of India.
  13. ^ The Hindu (1 August 2025). "Bombay HC gets 4th Bench at Kolhapur; sittings from August 18". The Hindu.
  14. ^ "150 years celebration of the Bombay High Court; PM to attend the closing ceremony on August 18". 13 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  15. ^ Dhananjaya Chandrachud; Anoop V Mohta; Roshan S Dalvi, eds. (August 2012). A Heritage of Judging the Bombay High Court through one hundred and fifty years (PDF). Maharashtra Judicial Academy. ISBN 978-81-925582-0-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  16. ^ Sandhii, Kanwar (28 February 1991). "Edgy Ethics". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 February 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ^ Sequeira, Rosy (23 November 2012). "Judges societies' land allotment legal'". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 February 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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  19. ^ Joshi, Neha (24 January 2021). "Groping 12-year-old child without removing her clothes not 'sexual assault' under POCSO Act, but only 'outraging modesty' under IPC: Bombay HC". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  20. ^ Vidya. "Bombay HC acquits man of rape, says impossible for a single man to gag victim, remove her clothes without scuffle". India Today. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Denied elevation, judge who gave 'no skin-to-skin contact' order resigns". The Indian Express. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  22. ^ Sah, Purnima (25 June 2024). "Pune Porsche crash: Bombay High Court orders release of accused juvenile". The Hindu.
  23. ^ Bose, Mrityunjay. "Pune Car Crash: Bombay High Court orders release of minor boy". Deccan Herald.
  24. ^ "Pune car crash: 'Understand my pain,' says victim's mother as Bombay HC orders release of accused teen".
  25. ^ "Bombay High Court reduces Pocso convict's life term to 10 years". 25 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Bombay HC grants bail to Pune student arrested for post on Indo-Pak conflict". Hindustan Times. 27 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Pune teen arrested for posting 'Pakistan Zindabad' on social media moves HC for bail".
  28. ^ "2006 Mumbai train blasts: Bombay HC acquits all 12 accused; says prosecution failed to prove case against them". The Times of India. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  29. ^ ""19 Years For What Purpose?": Father Of Mumbai Blasts Victim On Court Verdict".
  30. ^ "As HC acquits all 12 convicts in 2006 Mumbai blasts case, pressure mounts on Maharashtra govt to move SC". 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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  39. ^ "Death of Chief Justice H. K. Chainani".
  40. ^ "High Court of Gujarat". gujarathighcourt.nic.in. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  41. ^ "Appointment of N. M. Miabhoy as permanent judge".
  42. ^ "Full court reference to B. N. Deshmukh" (PDF).
  43. ^ "Justice Subhash C. Pratap (Retd)". The Times of India. 15 September 2012. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
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