Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya Appointed Chief Justice of Delhi High Court

The Union Law Ministry on Tuesday announced the appointment of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. Justice Upadhyaya is going to take up the mantle of Chief Justice from Bombay High Court. He was completing the tenure and replacing Justice Vibhu Bakhru who has been acting as Delhi High Court Chief Justice.

Follows Collegium Recommendation

The appointment, notably, follows a proposal by the Supreme Court Collegium. This proposal, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Bhushan R. Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy, and Abhay S. Oka, was dated January 8. Subsequently, the official notification from the ministry 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.”

This transfer adds a judge’s strength of the Delhi High Court to 38 but is below the sanctioned number of 60 judges.

Career Achievements by Justice Upadhyaya

Justice Upadhyaya was born in June 1965 in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated in law from Lucknow University and enrolled with the Allahabad High Court Bar in 1991. His specialties include civil and constitutional laws; he is the main figure to contributed immensely to the Allahabad High Court.

From 2007 to 2011, he was the Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh. The Allahabad High Court appointed him as a judge in November 2011 and confirmed him as a permanent judge in August 2013. Justice Upadhyaya was the Senior Judge at the Lucknow Bench before becoming the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in July 2023.

Justice Alok Named Chief Justice of Bombay High Court

The ministry also appointed Justice Alok Aradhe as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, replacing Justice Upadhyaya.

The authority passed and read out a transfer order, exercising the power vested in clause 1 of Article 222 of the Constitution of India. Subsequently, the President, after consulting the Chief Justice of India, has approved the transfer of Justice Alok Aradhe. As a result, he will now assume the role of Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Moreover, the President has directed him to assume charge as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and take the necessary steps for its implementation.

Justice Aradhe started his practice in 1988, with a specialization in civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company law. He has served in the high courts of Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, and Telangana. His scholarship and contributions to the legal field have earned him accolades.