Collegium recommends 11 names to fill High Court vacancies

In what is being described as a significant and landmark step, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Collegium has recommended 10 names from the Bar quota and one name from the Bench quota for elevation to the High Court, marking the first time such a large number of appointments have been processed in a single exercise.

According to sources, the High Court is presently functioning with 13 Judges against a sanctioned strength of 25, leaving 12 vacancies, including 10 from the Bar quota. The present recommendations are aimed at substantially addressing this shortfall.

Sources indicate that the exercise followed an extensive consultative process.

It is learnt that merit, integrity, competence, and standing at the Bar remained the primary considerations throughout the process.

At the same time, the Collegium is understood to have taken into account the need for balanced regional and social representation, in line with constitutional values and institutional requirements.

The recommendations are learnt to include Vishal Sharma, Namgyal Wangchuk, Jahangir Iqbal Ganai, Pawan Kumar Kundal, Tahir Majid Shamsi, Tabasum Zafar, Anupam Raina, Vikram Kumar Sharma, Amit Gupta, and Pranav Kohli for elevation from the Bar.

Sources said that particular emphasis has been laid on ensuring adequate representation from the Kashmir Bar, which has remained relatively underrepresented in the Bar quota.

At the same time, inclusion from the Union Territory of Ladakh is also understood to be part of the broader effort to ensure regional balance, with representation of the Buddhist community from the region also finding place in the recommendations.

It is further learnt that the recommendations also take into account representation of the Kashmiri Pandit community, thereby reflecting an attempt to accommodate diverse social segments within the Bar.

The overall exercise is said to reflect attention to social diversity, including representation of Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities, as well as different sections of society.

It is further learnt that the senior-most judicial officer, Yash Paul Bourney, has also been recommended for elevation, taking into account his experience, service record, and overall suitability.

In a notable development, one of the recommended candidates Tabasum Zafar is a woman advocate from Kashmir.

Sources said that, if the recommendations are accepted, this would mark the first instance of a Kashmiri woman adorning the Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The recommendations, finalised through what sources describe as a carefully calibrated and comprehensive exercise, have been forwarded to the competent authorities for further consideration.

Legal observers said that this move reflects a serious institutional effort to address vacancies at scale, while ensuring that the Bench reflects both professional excellence and the diversity of the region it serves.