BP Dharmadhikari may be chief justice of Bombay HC

NEW DELHI:ACTING chief justice of Bombay High Court (HC), justice BP Dharmadhikari, was recommended by the Supreme Court (SC) collegium on Monday for appointment as the chief justice of that HC.

Justice BP Dharmadhikari was the second senior-most judge in Bombay HC after the retirement of former chief justice, Pradeep Nandrajog, on Sunday. “The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on February 24. 2020, has recommended elevation of Mr. Justice BP Dharmadhikari, Acting Chief Justice, Bombay High Court, as Chief Justice of that High Court,” the collegium resolution published on the SC website said.

Another judge, Justice SC Dharmadhikari, who was the senior-most judge after former chief justice, Nandrajog, had resigned on February 15.

nterestingly, justice SC Dharmadhikari had told the media that he was resigning because he wanted to continue in Bombay HC instead of being transferred to another state as chief justice.

“I had to resign due to purely personal and family issues ... I did not want to leave Mumbai and they were not ready to elevate me as the Chief Justice of

Bombay HC,” justice SC Dharmadhikari had said.

Subsequently, the central government had notified the appointment of justice BP Dharmadhikari as the acting chief justice on Monday after chief justice, Nandrajog ,retired on Sunday.

The collegium, on the very same day, recommended that justice BP Dharmadhikari be made the chief justice.

Justice BP Dharmadhikari will retire on April 27 unless he is elevated to the SC.

The retirement age of SC judges is 65 years, while it is 62 for HC judges.