Three lawyers, Shailesh Pramod Brahme, Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla and Jitendra Shantilal Jain, took oath as additional judges of the Bombay High Court on Thursday taking the strength of the Court to 66. .The Central government had cleared their appointment on June 12.The appointment was made pursuant to the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium on May 2..As per the Collegium resolution, the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had made the recommendation for the elevation of these three lawyers on September 26, 2022.Seven months later, on April 26, 2023, the file concerning these recommendations was forwarded by the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court. The top court Collegium noted that the Chief Ministers and the Governors of the States of Maharashtra and Goa have concurred with the recommendations..Interestingly, as regards Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla, the Collegium had overruled the objection by Intelligence Bureau (IB) to his candidature.The IB had objected to the candidature of Pooniwalla by flagging an article written by an advocate under whom Pooniwalla used to work as a junior.The said article was written in 2020 expressing concerns over the alleged lack of freedom of speech/expression in the country in the last 5-6 years.The Collegium in its resolution said that the views expressed by a former senior of Pooniwalla have no bearing on Pooniwalla's own competence, ability or credentials for appointment as a judge of the High Court.
Three lawyers, Shailesh Pramod Brahme, Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla and Jitendra Shantilal Jain, took oath as additional judges of the Bombay High Court on Thursday taking the strength of the Court to 66. .The Central government had cleared their appointment on June 12.The appointment was made pursuant to the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium on May 2..As per the Collegium resolution, the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had made the recommendation for the elevation of these three lawyers on September 26, 2022.Seven months later, on April 26, 2023, the file concerning these recommendations was forwarded by the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court. The top court Collegium noted that the Chief Ministers and the Governors of the States of Maharashtra and Goa have concurred with the recommendations..Interestingly, as regards Firdosh Phiroze Pooniwalla, the Collegium had overruled the objection by Intelligence Bureau (IB) to his candidature.The IB had objected to the candidature of Pooniwalla by flagging an article written by an advocate under whom Pooniwalla used to work as a junior.The said article was written in 2020 expressing concerns over the alleged lack of freedom of speech/expression in the country in the last 5-6 years.The Collegium in its resolution said that the views expressed by a former senior of Pooniwalla have no bearing on Pooniwalla's own competence, ability or credentials for appointment as a judge of the High Court.