The Central government on Monday approved the appointment of three additional judges of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as permanent judges.

The judges who have been elevated as permanent judges are:

• Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal
• Justice Rajesh Sekhri
• Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani

The Supreme Court Collegium had given its nod to their appointment on March 5, and the Centre has now cleared all three names.

Profiles of the Newly Appointed Judges

Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal

Justice Nargal holds the distinction of being the first Muslim judge from the Jammu region to serve in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. His elevation was first recommended by the High Court Collegium in August 2017 and subsequently approved by the Supreme Court Collegium in April 2018. He was appointed as an additional judge on June 1, 2022, and took oath on June 3, 2022.

Justice Rajesh Sekhri

Justice Sekhri took oath as an additional judge on July 29, 2024. A law graduate from the University of Jammu (1989), he began his judicial career as a Munsiff judge in 1995. Over the years, he served as a Sub Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate in Rajouri and Kargil, and was promoted to District and Sessions Judge in 2008. Before his elevation, he was a judicial member of the J&K Special Tribunal, Jammu.

Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani

Justice Wani started his legal practice in 1990 and entered judicial service as a Munsiff in December 1997. He was elevated to Sub Judge in 2000 and to District & Sessions Judge in 2008. Throughout his career, he has held key judicial positions, including as a Judicial Member of the J&K Special Tribunal in Srinagar. He was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court on March 21, 2024.

Vacancies in the High Court

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has a sanctioned strength of 25 judges. However, it is currently operating with only 15 judges, leaving 10 positions vacant.