Justice Rohit Deo, the 2nd senior-most judge at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has tendered his resignation on Friday.
Heading the division bench alongside Justice MW Chandwani, Justice Deo announced his resignation in open court.
As witnessed by lawyers present in the court, Justice Deo expressed his deep connection with them, comparing them to family. His final words, as documented by one of the lawyers, were as follows:
“To all those present in the court, I extend my apologies. My admonitions were aimed at your improvement. I never intended to hurt any of you. You are all like family to me. However, I must convey that I have submitted my resignation. I cannot work against my self-respect. Each of you puts in dedicated efforts.”
President of the High Court Bar Association in Nagpur, Advocate Atul Pande, confirmed the statements made by Justice Deo during the open court session.
A division bench led by Justice Deo discharged former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and five others in a case involving alleged Maoist links. However, the Supreme Court subsequently remanded the matter with specific instructions to assign it to a different bench.
Among his recent significant decisions, Justice Deo temporarily halted the implementation of a government resolution empowering the Maharashtra government to revoke punitive actions against contractors engaged in the Samruddhi Expressway project.
Justice Rohit Deo was born on December 5, 1963, Justice Deo formerly served as the Advocate General of Maharashtra before his elevation to the bench in June 2017.
His scheduled retirement date was December 4, 2025.
