Former Bombay High Court judge takes charge of the state’s anti-corruption watchdog under the 2023 Lokayukta Act
Mumbai, August 25, 2026
Justice (Retd.) Sunil Balkrishna Shukre, a former judge of the Bombay High Court, was sworn in on Tuesday as Chairman of the Maharashtra Lokayukta institution. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma administered the oath of office at a function held at Lok Bhavan, Mumbai.
Justice Shukre’s appointment has been made under the new Maharashtra Lokayukta Act of 2023, which fixes his tenure at five years or until he turns 70, whichever comes first.
The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, and Assembly Speaker Adv. Rahul Narvekar. Also present were outgoing Lokayukta Justice Vidyasagar Kanade, Goa Lokayukta Justice Sandeep Shinde, State Chief Information Commissioner Rahul Pande, other members of the Maharashtra Lokayukta institution, and Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.
A Career Spanning the Judiciary and Public Institutions
Born on October 25, 1961, Justice Shukre graduated from Pune University in 1980, completed his LL.B. from Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Law College in Amravati, and earned an LL.M. in Constitutional Law from Nagpur University.
Over the course of his judicial career, he held several key positions, including Principal District Judge at Kolhapur and later at Nagpur, Registrar (Administration) at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, and Joint Director at the Maharashtra Judicial Academy in Uttan, Thane. In March 2011, he took charge as Registrar General of the Bombay High Court, and was elevated to the position of judge in 2013. He retired from the Bombay High Court in October 2023.
Following his retirement, the Maharashtra government appointed him Chairman of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, a post he held before assuming charge of the Lokayukta institution.
Significance of the Appointment
The Lokayukta is the state’s principal anti-corruption ombudsman, empowered to inquire into allegations against public functionaries. Justice Shukre’s elevation to the post comes at a time of heightened public attention on institutional accountability in Maharashtra, with the Lokayukta framework itself having been substantially strengthened under the 2023 Act.
His appointment succeeds that of Justice Vidyasagar Kanade, the outgoing Lokayukta, marking a formal transition in the leadership of the institution.
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