Number of judges, excluding Chief Justice, now increased to 83

Prayagraj: Five newly appointed judges were sworn in at the Allahabad High Court on Thursday. Chief Justice of the High Court Justice Arun Bhansali administered the oath of office and secrecy to all the five judges in a simple ceremony held in the Chief Justice’s court room. The newly appointed judges Justice Pramod Kumar Srivastava, Justice Abdul Shahid, Justice Santosh Rai, Justice Tej Pratap Tiwari and Justice Zafeer Ahmed are all promoted from the Higher Judicial Service HJS cadre. Where he was earlier working as a district judge. Their appointments were made to the High Court after the President’s approval. The Ministry of Law and Justice had already issued an official notification of their promotion. These appointments will fill the Allahabad High Court which has been facing a shortage of judges for a long time. The sanctioned number of judges in the Allahabad High Court is 160 but before the swearing-in ceremony, only 78 judges are working apart from the Chief Justice. One of these judges has been kept away from judicial work. After the inclusion of five new judges, the total number of judges at present has increased to 83. The move is being seen as a positive step towards resolving pending cases and improving judicial efficiency in one of the largest and busiest High Courts in the country.