The President appoints six new additional judges to the Bombay High Court (BHC) taking the total strength to 61. The judges are likely to be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court later this week.

Press Information Bureau reports, the new additional judges in order of seniority are Sessions judge Tanaji Vishwas Nalawade, Registrar General of the High Court Madatali Noormohammed Gilani, Principal District judge of Pune Madan Trymbak Joshi, Principal Sessions judge Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani, Sessions judge Abhay Mahadeo Thipsay and South Goa Principal District and Sessions judge Utkarsh Vishvanath Bakre.

Amongst the 6 judges appointed, Principal Sessions judge M.L. Tahaliyani and Sessions judge A.M. Thipsay have been involved in the most highly sensitive cases of the country. M.L. Tahaliyani has awarded death sentence to Ajmal Kasab for the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Recently, he granted bail to Pune-based stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan after the Enforcement Directorate failed to show evidence of money laundering against him.

A. M. Thipsay, who as the special trial judge in Gujarat Best Bakery case was transferred to Maharashtra by the Supreme Court for retrial, had convicted eight persons for their role in communal violence.

The additional judges have been appointed for a period of two years with effect from the date of their appointment except M.N. Gilani, whose tenure shall be up to January 25, 2013 i.e. the date of superannuation.

The appointments take the strength of BHC judges to 61, 14 short of the sanctioned number. BHC  is estimated to have 26.67 percent vacancy in the number of judges. Bar & Bench research had indicated that Maharashtra has the third highest number of pending litigations with Allahabad High Court taking the number one spot in both in the number of litigations and vacancies. The vacancy level in 21 High Courts across the nation as on March 1, 2011 was 291 of 895 sanctioned posts.