Mumbai, Jun 13 (IANS): Former Judge of the Bombay and Allahabad High Courts, Justice Abhay Mahadeo Thipsay on Tuesday joined the Congress, a party spokesperson said.

Thipsay was welcomed to the party fold by Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the presence of several leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Ketkar.

Justice Thipsay, 64, is the brother of Indian Chess Grandmaster Pravin Mahadeo Thipsay and renowned for his trendsetting rulings and judgements in various cases.

He joined the Maharashtra Judicial Service in 1987 and later became the Principal District & Sessions Judge in Jalgaon in 2007.

He was elevated to the Bombay High Court in March 2011 and later transferred to Allahabad High Court in May 2016 from where he retired last year.

Over the years in his judicial career, Justice Thipsay presided over several courts and special courts, handling some high-profile cases, including granting bail to Bollywood actor Salman Khan in May 2015 for the Bandra accident case of 2002 and suspending his five-year sentence.