Jammu: The President of India on Wednesday appointed Judicial Officer Rajesh Sekhri as the Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (I) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Rajesh Sekhri, to be an Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” read a notification issued by the Department of Justice (Appointments Division), the Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India.
Earlier, the Supreme Court Collegium had approved the proposal for elevation of Sekhri, presently the judicial member of J&K Special Tribunal Jammu, on July 14, 2022 as judge in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
“Now there is no vacancy (of judges) in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” J&K Law Secretary Achal Sethi told Greater Kashmir.
With Sekhri’s appointment, the strength of the judges in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has reached 16, against its sanctioned strength of 17 judges. Out of 17 sanctioned strength, thirteen are permanent vacancies and four are additional vacancies (additional judges).
“All four vacancies of additional judges have now been filled. Ditto is about the status of permanent judges. Out of 13 permanent judges, Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur was recently shifted to Bombay High Court, thus creating one position vacant. But it is to be filled up by transfer and not by appointment,” Sethi explained.
Sekhri, who joined as Munsiff in 1995, was promoted as Sub-Judge in 1998 and as District and Sessions Judge in 2008. He was placed in the Selection Grade in 2014 with effect from June 2013 and then was promoted to Super Time Scale in 2017.
He served as Special Judge Anti-Corruption CBI Cases Jammu besides serving as CJM Rajouri and Kargil, Special Judge TADA/POTA Court Srinagar, Additional District Judge Anantnag, Additional District and Sessions Judge Jammu and Principal District Judge Reasi, Ramban and Baramulla.
Earlier this year on June 1, Wasim Sadiq Nargal and on March 24, Rahul Bharti and Moksha Khajuria Kazmi were appointed by the President of India as the Additional Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a period of two years.
Prior to their appointments, on November 3, 2021, the Government of India had appointed two judicial officers Mohd Akram Chowdhary and Mohan Lal as judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
As per official statistics, in the years from 2018 to 2021, nine appointments of judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were made. Out of them, two appointments were made in 2018; five in 2020 and two in 2021.
While in 2022, so far four appointments (including that of Sekhri) have been made.