LUCKNOW: In a significant milestone for the legal fraternity of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya has been recommended for elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court, making him only the second lawyer from the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court to reach the apex court in the past 25 years.
Prior to Justice Upadhyaya, Justice Brijesh Kumar was the last legal practitioner from the Lucknow Bench to be elevated directly to the Supreme Court, back in the year 2000.
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant and comprising senior apex court judges, announced the recommendation on Monday.
A Distinguished Legal Journey
Born on June 16, 1965, in Muskrai village of Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar district, Justice Upadhyaya earned his law degree from Lucknow University in 1991. He enrolled as an advocate in May 1991, beginning his practice under his father, R.A.
Throughout his career as an advocate, he primarily practiced on the civil and constitutional sides at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court.
Extensive Judicial Service
Justice Upadhyaya was appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011. After serving extensively at the Lucknow Bench, he took charge as its senior judge in March 2023.
His administrative and judicial leadership expanded further when he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in July 2023. In January 2025, the Union government notified his transfer as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, where he served before this latest national-level elevation.
The Collegium’s recommendation will now move forward through the established official procedure for judicial appointments to the Supreme Court.
