Centre Notifies Appointment Of New Chief Justices For Bombay & Delhi High Courts

The Ministry of Law and Justice notified the appointment of the previous Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Justice Alok Aradhe as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court following which Justice Sujoy Paul was notified as the acting Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
The notification dated January 14, 2025 read, “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice, Telangana High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and to direct him to assume charge of the office of the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.”
Justice Paul, who enrolled as an advocate in 1990 with the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh, practiced in a range of legal fields before being appointed as a judge in the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2011. He was later transferred to the Telangana High Court on March 26, 2024, after requesting the transfer due to his son practicing before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The notification dated January 14, 2025 read, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sujoy Paul, Judge of the Telangana High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court consequent upon transfer of Shri Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.”
This decision, made by the President after consulting with the Chief Justice of India, follows a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium on January 7.
Justice Aradhe’s transfer also leads to the departure of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya from the Bombay High Court, as he is appointed Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
Justice Upadhyaya, who was appointed Chief Justice of Bombay in July 2023, will take over from Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru in Delhi. Upadhyaya had previously served as a judge of the Allahabad High Court and was elevated to the Chief Justice role in Bombay after extensive experience, including a brief tenure as Acting Chief Justice in Karnataka.
Another notification dated January 14, 2025 read, “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and direct him to assume charge of the office of the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.”