In March 1959, a Special Communication of the DGL was held. Rt. WBro. Frank Carlile Kidd, DGM of Bengal, presiding. He installed WBro. Bhogilal C. Shah as District Grand Master for Bombay. There was a very large gathering of Brethren.

The new DGM invested WBro. A.C. Bottomley as Deputy DGM and WBro. E.B. Fairbass as Assistant DGM.

Lodge Orion in the West which was the oldest in the District prior to its transfer to London in 1948, celebrated its centenary in London in October.

Lodge Unique in the East, also formerly of Bombay, celebrated its golden jubilee in London in the same month.

Aden Lodge No. 7652 was consecrated in Adne on 9th October 1959 with ten founder members, by Rt. WBro. Bhogilal C. Shah.

Lodge Penchvale No. 7643 was consecrated in Paarasia in December 1959 by the DGM.

The DGL was informed in March 1060, that the only Masonic body recognized as being regular in France is the French National Grand Lodge.

WBro. F.D. Billimoria was appointed as Assistant DGM.

Early in the year, the Grand Masters of the three British Constitutions which have subordinate Lodges in India expressed their conviction that it was desirable to constitute a sovereign Grand Lodge of India and appointed a steering committee with Rt. WBro. Lt. Gen. Sir Harold Williams as Chairman. The four DGL in India and the Scottish and Irish Craft were asked to nominate representatives to serve on the committee.

Lodge Light of Asia No. 7700 (now known as the Silvery Dawn Lodge) and Lions Lodge No. 7713 both in Bombay were consecrated by Rt. WBro. Bhogilal C. Shah in May and October 1960 respectively. The total of Lodges rose to 51.

The steering committee’s unanimous report on the proposed Grand Lodge of India was accepted by the three Grand Masters who called upon Lodges in India to decide by secret ballot whether or not they wished to opt to join the new Grand Lodge of India on its formation.

At the time of ballot, there were in the District Grand Lodge of Bombay 51 Lodges, including 2 in Aden (which were exempted from the ballot). Out of the remaining 49, 23 Lodges opted for the Indian Grand Lodge and in consequence the strength of the District dropped to 28 on the inauguration of the Grand Lodge of India.

About 52 per cent of the Lodges in India under the three British Constitutions opted for the Indian Grand Lodge whose inauguration took place in Delhi on 24th November 1961.

At the September 1961 Communication of the DGL, the DGM Rt. WBro. Bhogilal C. Shah made an oblique reference to the development relating to the Grand Lodge of India and said that would perhaps be the last time when he would preside over a regular half-yearly Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bombay. He also referred to the accession of the 23 Lodges in the District to the Grand Lodge of India.

The DGM spoke of a special Communication of the DGL to be held at Nagpur on the 2nd November 1961 and the centenary of the DGL to be celebrated in Bombay in the latter half of November.

He alluded to the death of Rt. WBro. Sir Reginald Spence, Past DGM.

Rt. WBro. Bhogilal C. Shah resigned his office to become the Deputy Grand Master of Grand Lodge of India and later elevated to the exalted position of the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India.

In October 1961, the District celebrated its Centenary at a Special Communication when messages of goodwill were received from the Earl of Scarbrough, Grand Master, the DGMs of Northern India, Bengal, Madras and Punjab (Pakistan) as well as formed DGM Rt. WBro. Rev. Canon Arnold Bolton.