2 min readJammuApr 18, 2026 08:24 PM IST
The Collegium of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has recommended 11 names—10 practising lawyers and one serving judicial officer—to fill existing vacancies.
This is the first time the Collegium has made such a large number of recommendations in a single exercise, sources said.
Among those recommended is Tabasum Zafar, an advocate from Kashmir. If cleared, it would mark the first appointment of a woman advocate from Kashmir to the high court. Other names include Vishal Sharma, Assistant Solicitor General of India at the HC; Namgyal Wangchuk; former J&K Advocate General Jahangir Iqbal Ganai; Tahir Majid Shamsi, Deputy Solicitor General of India; and Amit Gupta, a former Additional Advocate General. The list also includes Pawan Kumar Kundal, Anupam Raina, Vikram Kumar Sharma, and Pranav Kohli.
The judicial officer recommended for elevation is Yash Paul Bourney, the senior-most principal district and sessions judge, currently serving as judicial member of the J&K Special Tribunal.
Sources said the selection followed an extensive consultative exercise led by Chief Justice Arun Palli with the two senior-most judges—Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sindhu Sharma—focusing on merit, integrity, competence, and standing at the Bar.
The recommendations also reflect an emphasis on representation from the Kashmir Bar and the Union Territory of Ladakh, as well as from Kashmiri Pandit, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe communities, sources added.
The list has been sent to the Supreme Court Collegium and the Union Law Ministry, with a copy to J&K Lok Bhawan.
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As per procedure, the Supreme Court Collegium will review the recommendations and forward approved names to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. The final list will then go to the Prime Minister’s Office and, subsequently, the President of India for issuance of warrants of appointment.
The high court has a sanctioned strength of 25 judges—19 permanent and six additional. It currently has 13 judges, leaving 12 vacancies, including 10 to be filled from the Bar.
