Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Permanent Judges for Uttarakhand High Court
The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended additional judges be made permanent judges of the Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) High Court, as part of a batch of 11 recommendations covering Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
Current Summary
According to September 23-24 reports including Law Trend and Bar and Bench, the Supreme Court Collegium, at its meeting on September 23, 2026, recommended 12 Additional Judges for appointment as permanent judges across the High Courts of Gauhati, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. For Uttarakhand, the Collegium recommended Justice Subhash Upadhyay, an Additional Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court since May 26, 2025, as the sole judge named for permanent appointment to that court. Justice Upadhyay was born December 12, 1972 in Lucknow, with his native village in Tehsil Salt, Almora district, Uttarakhand. He holds a B.Sc., LL.B. and a Master's in Social Work from Lucknow University, enrolled as an advocate in 1998, and began practice at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in civil, constitutional and service matters before shifting his practice to the Uttarakhand High Court after the state's formation. Justice Kaushik Goswami was separately recommended for the Gauhati High Court, with five Additional Judges each recommended for Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The reports do not disclose a timeline for the central government to act on the recommendations.
What We Know
- The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended 11 Additional Judges be made Permanent Judges across the High Courts of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
- Uttarakhand's High Court is referred to in the recommendation as the Uttaranchal High Court.
- A separate September 23 report states the Collegium approved 12 Additional Judges, not 11, as Permanent Judges, and that Gauhati High Court is also covered by the decision alongside Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
- Justice Subhash Upadhyay, an Additional Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court since May 26, 2025, is the sole Uttarakhand judge named in the Collegium's September 23 recommendation for permanent appointment.
- The Collegium's resolution names 12 Additional Judges in total for permanent appointment across the Gauhati, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.
- Justice Subhash Upadhyay's native village is in Tehsil Salt, Almora district, Uttarakhand.
- He holds a B.Sc., LL.B. and a Master's in Social Work from Lucknow University and enrolled as an advocate in 1998.
What Is Still Unclear
- How many of the 11 recommended judges are specifically for the Uttarakhand High Court.
- The names of the judges recommended for Uttarakhand.
- When the government is expected to formally act on the collegium's recommendation.
What Changed
- 24 Sept, 11:30 pmAdditional biographical detail: Justice Subhash Upadhyay, born December 12, 1972 in Lucknow, has his native village in Tehsil Salt, Almora district, Uttarakhand. He holds a B.Sc., LL.B. and a Master's in Social Work from Lucknow University, enrolled as an advocate in 1998, and began practice at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court before shifting to the Uttarakhand High Court after the state's creation.
- 24 Sept, 05:31 amThe Supreme Court Collegium's September 23 resolutions confirm Justice Subhash Upadhyay, an Additional Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court since May 26, 2025, is the sole Uttarakhand judge recommended for permanent appointment, among 12 Additional Judges named across the Gauhati, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh High Courts.
- 23 Sept, 07:41 pmA separate September 23 report states the Supreme Court Collegium, at its September 23 meetings, approved 12 Additional Judges — not 11 as earlier reported — as Permanent Judges across four High Courts: Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Gauhati. The report does not break down how many of the 12 pertain specifically to Uttarakhand.
- 23 Sept, 05:21 pmSignal detected: Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Permanent Judges for Uttarakhand High Court