Srinagar, Senior judicial officer Yash Paul Bourney took the oath of office as a Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Tuesday. Chief Justice Dr. Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati administered the oath of office and secrecy to him during a dignified ceremony held at the Chief Justice’s Court in the Srinagar wing of the High Court.
On this occasion, High Court Registrar General M.K. Sharma read out the warrant of appointment and conducted the proceedings. Several High Court judges—including Justice Rajnesh Oswal, Justice Mohammad Akram Chowdhary, Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal, Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani, and Justice Sanjay Parihar—were present at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Justice Sindhu Sharma, Justice Sanjay Dhar, Justice Rahul Bharti, Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi, and Justice Shahzad Azim joined the event via video conferencing from the Jammu wing. Justice Yash Paul Bourney’s family members, relatives, and friends were also present on this significant occasion.
The ceremony was attended by Mir Syed Latif (Judicial Member, Central Administrative Tribunal, Srinagar Bench), Shalin Kabra (Additional Chief Secretary), M.K. Sinha (ADGP CID), Achal Sethi (Commissioner-Secretary, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs), the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, IGP Kashmir, IGP Security, senior advocates, office bearers of the Kashmir Advocates Association and the J&K High Court Bar Association (Jammu), law officers, judicial officers, and officials from the High Court Registry.
The Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, had issued the notification regarding the appointment of Yash Paul Bourney as a Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on September 19, 2026. Born on August 25, 1967, Justice Yash Paul Bourney hails from Dadwara village in the Billawar area of Kathua district. Throughout his long judicial career, he has discharged various significant judicial and administrative responsibilities. He has served as Principal District and Sessions Judge in Leh, Baramulla, Udhampur, and Jammu.
Additionally, he worked as a Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) in Srinagar and Jammu. Justice Bourney has also held key positions such as Member Secretary of the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority, Registrar (Vigilance) of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and Director of the Jammu & Kashmir Judicial Academy. After serving as Principal District and Sessions Judge, Jammu, he was appointed on deputation as a member of the Jammu & Kashmir Special Tribunal, based in Jammu. He was holding this position prior to his elevation as a High Court Judge.