Mumbai: The wheels of justice turn slowly but resolutely, and so they did in the case of Justice Dipankar Dutta, who drove all the way from Kolkata to Maharashtra to assume the office as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court. The newly named CJ began his journey from Kolkata early morning on April 25, with his son at the wheel.
Having covered a distance of approximately 2,000 kilometres by road, CJ Datta is likely to reach Mumbai by Monday evening. He will be sworn in by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
In keeping with lockdown rules, the ceremony will be a limited gathering, with only Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his deputy Ajit Pawar and a few senior judges of the HC in attendance.
Notably, Justice Datta's name was recommended last week by the Supreme Court collegium led by Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde. The recommendation was approved within a few days and accordingly, the President of India issued his appointment order last weekend.
Justice Datta is the seniormost judge (after the CJ) of the Calcutta High Court and has been a judge for nearly 14 years since his appointment in June 2006.
A constitutional and educational law expert - Justice Datta is the son of Salil Kumar Datta, former judge of the Calcutta HC. His brother-in-law Justice Amitava Roy has been a Supreme Court judge.
