New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday issued a notification appointing Justice Vibhu Bakhru as the acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, shortly after clearing the elevation of the incumbent, Justice Manmohan, to the Supreme Court.
"In exercise of the power conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Vibhu Bakhru, Judge of the Delhi High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from the date Shri Justice Manmohan, Chief Justice, Delhi High Court relinquishes charge of his office consequent upon his elevation as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India," a notification by the Union ministry of law and justice said.
Born in Nagpur in 1966, Justice Bakhru studied in Delhi and enrolled as a student with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He graduated from Delhi University in 1987, finishing his BCom (Hon), after which he cleared his final examination for chartered accountancy in 1989.
Justice Bakhru received his LLB degree in 1990 and enrolled as a lawyer with the Bar Council of Delhi the same year. He practised in the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and Company Law Board, and various other tribunals before being appointed the additional judge of the high court on April 17, 2013, and as a permanent judge on March 18, 2015.
Earlier in the day, the Centre announced the appointment of Justice Manmohan to the top court. Justice Manmohan was appointed as a judge of Delhi High Court in March 2008 and was functioning as the Chief Justice of the high court since Sept 29. He stood at serial number 2 in the combined all-India seniority of high court judges.