Bombay HC Acting CJ Justice Ravindra Ghuge Appointed Calcutta HC Chief Justice; Maratha Quota Case Faces Fresh Three-Judge Bench

Mumbai, September 7, 2026: “It’s really too early for this journey at the Bombay High Court to end,” Justice Ravindra Ghuge said on Monday, signing off from the court where he served as a judge for over 13 years and, most recently, as Acting Chief Justice.

He was speaking at a full court farewell held for him after the Centre notified his appointment as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on September 5.

The judge who described himself as his parents’ “accidental son” will now head the Calcutta High Court. However, his elevation is likely to have a direct bearing on one of Maharashtra’s most significant legal battles — the challenge to the State’s law granting 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in education and public employment.

Maratha Quota Case Faces Fresh Bench

Justice Ghuge was heading the special three-judge bench hearing the challenge to the Maratha reservation law. The petitioners have completed their arguments, while the Maharashtra government is currently making its submissions.

With Justice Ghuge moving to Calcutta, the composition of the bench will change. A fresh three-judge bench will have to be constituted, raising the possibility of the matter being heard afresh and potentially delaying a final decision on the validity of the reservation law.

The Centre notified Justice Ghuge’s appointment nearly a month after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his elevation on August 6. Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi of the Allahabad High Court has been appointed the next Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and is expected to take oath on September 9.

‘Accidental Son’ Recalls Early Years

At his farewell, Justice Ghuge recalled how his parents, who already had two sons, had hoped for a daughter before “destiny gave them the third son, an ‘accidental son’.”

He also spoke about his decision to become a lawyer after initially being pushed towards engineering. “I don’t want to do engineering. I can’t do mathematics all my life,” he recalled telling his mother.

Looking back at his judicial career, Justice Ghuge said that when he became a judge at around 46, he had expected his tenure of “15 years and odd” to be a long journey. “But the journey has come to a momentary halt, a bit too early,” he said.

Key Cases During Judicial Career

Justice Ghuge began practising in 1990 and was elevated to the Bench in 2013. During his judicial tenure, he dealt with matters involving land, public health, civic administration and public interest.

His bench took suo motu cognisance of a strike by doctors in Maharashtra, following which the agitation was called off. In cases concerning malnutrition and water scarcity in Melghat, the court issued directions for supplying water to affected villages.

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As Acting Chief Justice, Justice Ghuge also headed benches that pulled up the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration over licence suspensions despite subsequent inspections showing substantial compliance. In one case, the court imposed Rs 5 lakh in costs on the FDA while granting relief to a Pune sweets shop after a re-inspection recorded 98 per cent compliance.

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