Jammu Tawi: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh collegium, led by Chief Justice Arun Palli, has recommended 11 names for appointment as judges to fill existing vacancies.
According to sources, the list includes 10 advocates from the Bar quota and one judicial officer from the Bench quota. This marks the first time such a large number of recommendations have been processed in a single exercise by the High Court.
The recommendations followed consultations between the Chief Justice and senior judges, with emphasis on regional and social representation. The names have been forwarded to the appropriate authorities, including the Supreme Court collegium and the Union Law Ministry.
From the Bar, the recommended names include Vishal Sharma, Namgyal Wangchuk, Jahangir Iqbal Ganai, Pawan Kumar Kundal, Tahir Majid Shamshi, Tabasum Zafar, Anupam Raina, Vikram Kumar Sharma, Amit Gupta and Pranav Kohli. Yash Paul Bourney, a senior judicial officer and tribunal member, has been recommended from the Bench quota.
If approved, Tabasum Zafar would become the first woman from Kashmir to be appointed as a High Court judge.
The High Court is currently functioning with 13 judges against a sanctioned strength of 25, leaving 12 vacancies. The present recommendations aim to address this shortfall and reduce case backlog.
The proposals will now be examined by the Supreme Court collegium, followed by approval from the Union Government and the President of India.
