Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Elevation of Advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande to Bombay High Court

Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Elevation of Advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande to Bombay High Court

The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has recommended name of Advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande for appointment as Judge of Bombay High Court.

As per the resolution, the recommendation was made by the Bombay High Court Collegium on 26 September, 2022.

However, on 2 May, 2023, the Collegium deferred its decision on the recommendation and decided to seek a report of the then Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) of the Bombay High Court in view of the issues the Department of Justice flagged.

Thereafter, the ACJ of the High Court, after discussing the matter with his colleagues at the Aurangabad Bench, submitted the report on 10 May, 2022.

In terms of the Memorandum of Procedure, Judges of the Supreme Court conversant with the affairs of the High Court of Bombay were consulted to ascertain the fitness and suitability of the candidate proposed for elevation to the High Court.

The Collegium scrutinized and evaluated the material which had been placed on record for the purpose of assessing the merit and suitability of Advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande for elevation to the High Court.

Moreover, three consultee-judges of the Supreme Court opined that Advocate Manjusha Ajay Deshpande is suitable for elevation. The resolution further stated that the High Court Collegium was well positioned to ascertain the lawyer’s professional competence.

As per the Collegium’s assessment, Deshpande is a competent lawyer well versed in several branches of law, particularly in constitutional and service matters. She has been on the panel of the government since 2013.

Additionally, the Collegium was of the view that by elevation of Deshpande would contribute to better representation of women on the Bench of the High Court of Bombay particularly amongst women lawyers practicing before the Bench at Aurangabad.

Considering these aspects, the Collegium has recommended the lawyer's elevation.

As of 1 June, 2023, the Bombay High Court is operating with 63 judges against a sanctioned strength of 94, leaving a vacancy position of 31.