SC Collegium recommends Justice AS Oka as K'taka HC CJ

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the name of Bombay High Court Justice A S Oka as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Presently the Karnataka High Court is functioning under Acting Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy, Senior most judge of the Karnataka High Court. Justice Narayana Swamy was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice after the erstwhile Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in January 2019.

Following this, the Supreme Court collegium has passed a resolution recommending Justice AS Oka to be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

The collegium resolution states “Office of the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court has fallen vacant, consequent upon elevation of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Chief Justice of that High Court to the Supreme Court. Therefore, appointment to that office is required to be made."

The collegium resolution further states “Justice A S Oka is the senior-most Judge from Bombay High Court and is functioning in that High Court since his elevation. Having regard to all relevant factors, the Collegium finds Justice A S Oka suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. The Collegium resolves to recommend accordingly ".

While making the recommendation, the SC collegium has also noted that “consequent upon the proposed appointment, there will be two Chief Justices from Bombay High Court which is the second largest High Court in the country with sanctioned strength of 94 Judges.”

Following his enrolment in 1983, Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka practised in the Thane District Court in the chambers of his father, Shreeniwas W Oka. In 1985-86, he joined the chambers of VP Tipnis, a former Judge of the Bombay High Court and former Lokayukta. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court in August 2003. He was made a permanent judge in November 2005.