Chief Justice BR Gavai's Nephew, 13 Judges Take Oath At Bombay HC

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai’s nephew Raj Wakode and 13 other judges were sworn in as judges of the Bombay High Court.

The mass swearing-in, conducted by Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, marks one of the largest inductions at once in the High Court’s recent history.

The appointments were cleared by President Droupadi Murmu a week ago, following the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendations on August 19. With this round of appointments, the court now has 82 sitting judges—still 12 short of the sanctioned strength of 94.

Who Took The Oath

Those sworn in include Siddheshwar Thombre, Mehroz Pathan, Ranjitsinha Bhonsale, Nandesh Deshpande, Amit Jamsandekar, Ashish Chavan, Sandesh Patil, Vaishali Patil-Jadhav, Abasaheb Shinde, Shreeram Shirsat, Hiten Venegavkar, Farhan Dubash, Rajnish Vyas, and Raj Wakode.

By Tuesday evening, the registry had already informed the newly appointed judges about their postings across various benches. They will begin sitting on division benches alongside senior judges in the coming days.

Backgrounds & Expertise

Several appointees bring years of experience representing state and central agencies:

Justice Hiten Venegavkar was Maharashtra’s public prosecutor and often argued for the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Justice Sandesh Patil represented the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Justice Shreeram Shirsat has handled cases for both the ED and the CBI.
Justice Ashish Chavan, a state special prosecutor, was also empanelled as ED counsel.
Justice Farhan Dubash served as secretary of the Bombay Bar Association, among the oldest bar associations in the country.
Justice Nandesh Deshpande, from Nagpur, served as Assistant Solicitor General of India for the Nagpur bench.

Legacies & Representation

The new judges also reflect notable family legacies. Justice Ranjitsinha Bhonsale is the son of the late Barrister Raja Bhonsale, who once served as Advocate General of Maharashtra and later as a High Court judge.

Justice Raj Wakode, from Nagpur and related to CJI Gavai, has long represented the state government and municipal corporations. Justice Mehroz Pathan comes from an established private practice.

A significant milestone was also marked by Justice Vaishali Patil-Jadhav’s appointment. She is the only woman in this batch, taking the number of women judges at the Bombay High Court to 13, the highest in recent years.