Kolkata: Three additional judges of the Calcutta High Court, including one woman lawyer, were sworn in on Tuesday, taking the total number of women judges in the court to eight which is the highest ever since its inception.
Three advocates Smita Das De, Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, and Om Narayan Rai were sworn as additional judges of the High Court on March 11. During her speech, Justice Smita Das De, among other things, said: “One thing which really reminds me are the words spoken with enthusiasm by Justice Indira Banerjee (former Cal HC judge) that more ladies should join the profession and should be elevated to the benches for dispensation of justice…”
With Das De’s appointment, the Calcutta High Court will now have eight women judges with the others being Justice Amrita Sinha, Justice Rai Chattopadhyay, Justice Shampa Sarkar, Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul), Justice Suvra Ghosh, Justice Ananya Bandopadhyay and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee (Das).
Justice Manjula Chellur on August 6 2014, was sworn in as the first woman chief justice of Calcutta High Court.
Calcutta High Court had 44 judges so far while its sanctioned strength is 72. With the joining of the three additional judges, the number has apparently increased. Recently, former Registrar of the High Court, Chaitali Chatterjee (Das) was sworn in as an additional judge.
Meanwhile, sitting judge of the High Court Justice Joymalya Bagchi was elevated to the Supreme Court.
The Apex Court collegium has also recommended the name of another Calcutta HC judge Justice Harish Tandon for appointment as Orissa High Court’s Chief Justice.