The Bombay High Court has been notified by the Maharashtra State Government about the establishment of 384 additional positions for judicial officers within the state.

The division bench of the high court, including Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Gauri Godse, was informed by the Ministry of Law and Justice Department of the state government that with the recent establishment of 384 new positions, the total count of posts has risen to 2,360 from the previous 2012.

During the proceedings, the division bench was addressing a public interest litigation initiated by Vaijnath Pandurang Vaze. His plea aimed to bolster the number of judges in Maharashtra and ensure sufficient court infrastructure to support them effectively.

The Government Pleader PP Kakade updated the bench on the National Court Management Systems Committee's recommendation to establish a total of 3,211 judge positions. He mentioned that while the sub-committee of the high-power committee and the high-power committee have approved creating the remaining 2,863 posts, this proposal awaits cabinet approval.

Earlier, during a hearing on December 1, a division bench led by Justice Revati Mohite Dere criticized the government's apparent lack of proactive steps following Justice Abhay Oka's 2018 directive to appoint judges at the district level. The bench summoned officials from the Finance Department and Law and Judiciary Department, later directing them to submit a report.

The Law Secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department filed an initial report on December 15, deemed unsatisfactory by the bench, prompting a request for a revised report. Following the submission of a new report on December 19, confirming the creation of 384 new posts for judicial officers, the bench adjourned the case to January 8, 2024