After 2000-km drive, Justice Datta takes oath as Bombay HC CJ (Ld)

Mumbai, April 28 (IANS) After a grueling, 2,000-km 3-day road journey from Kolkata to Mumbai, Justice Dipankar Datta was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday evening, officials said.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to the new CJ at a function in Raj Bhavan attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Other prominent dignitaries present included leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Speaker of Legislative Assembly Nana Patole, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, HC judges, DGP Subodh Jaiswal, Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, and other personalities, all maintaining physical distancing.

Following his appointment by President R.N. Kovind on April 23, Chief Justice Datta embarked on the long road journey from Kolkata to Mumbai as all flights were grounded in view of the lockdown.

Chief Justice Datta’s sojourn took him from West Bengal to Odisha, then to Andhra Pradesh, passing through Vijayawada, Solapur, Pune and then to Mumbai.

After Chief Justice Datta, his family and other officials entered Maharashtra, they were honoured as state guests and accorded full protocol till their journey to Mumbai.

Born on February 9, 1965, Chief Justice Datta started his legal practice from November 1989, in the High Court and Supreme Court, fighting constitutional and civil matters

Appointed as a permanent Judge of Calcutta HC in June 2006, over the past 16 years as a judge, he has also served in the high courts of Guwahati, Jharkhand before being appointed the Chief Justice of Bombay HC.

He replaces Chief Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari who retired on April 27.

–IANS

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