Orissa High Court Chief Justice Waghela to head Bombay HC

Justice Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela was on Monday appointed as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, which has been functioning with an officiating head since October last.

Currently the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, Justice Waghela has been asked to assume charge by February 16, a Law Ministry notification said. The Bombay High Court has been functioning with an officiating Chief Justice since October last, after the retirement of Justice Mohit S Shah in September.

While senior judges are set to become chief justices of Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Gauhati high courts, the acting chief justice of the Karnataka High Court Justice S K Mukherjee has been recommended to head that high court as Chief Justice.

Sources said Justice Satish Kumar Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is tipped to become the next Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court; Justice Ajit Singh, a judge of the Rajasthan High Court is expected to head the Gauhati High Court.

Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, a senior judge at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has been recommended to head the Meghalaya High Court. These recommendations are likely to be processed by the government in the next few days. Meanwhile, another notification said Justice Hemant Gupta, a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been transferred to the Patna High Court and asked to assume his new charge by February 16.