New chief justice of Calcutta High Court sworn in

Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam was on Thursday sworn in as the chief justice of Calcutta High Court by Governor CV Ananda Bose.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at the function held at court number one, the chief justice's courtroom, in the oldest high court in the country.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Speaker Biman Banerjee, and senior state ministers were also present at the function.

The ceremony was also attended by other judges of the high court, family members of the chief justice and members of the Madras High Court Bar Association, some of whom joined the programme through the virtual platform also.

Addressing the gathering after the ceremony, the chief justice said "I assure that I will leave no stone unturned to ensure the protection of the rights of the people of West Bengal, uphold democracy and the rule of law."

The Chief Justice requested the fullest cooperation of the bar, stating that he always welcomes suggestions with an open mind.

"I feel proud to have been sworn in as the chief justice of the High Court, Calcutta, as it is the most prestigious chartered high court in India," he said.

He took oath as an additional judge of the Madras High Court on March 31, 2009, and became a permanent judge on March 29, 2011. On October 25, 2021, he was transferred to Calcutta High Court, where he took over as the Acting Chief Justice on March 31, 2023.

In his speech, state Advocate General S N Mookherjee said that Justice Sivagnanam, as the acting Chief Justice, was responsible for live streaming of cases, which he termed as "transparent and open justice".

Justice Sivagnanam has been fiercely proud of his parent high court (Madras), where he practised as a member of the bar before being elevated to the bench, Mookherjee said.

He said that Justice Sivagnanam, who he said often refers to the Madras High Court and its lawyers, its traditions and legacies, was an impeccable ambassador for his parent high court.

"I would request the members of our bar to conduct ourselves in such fashion that the Hon'ble Chief Justice speaks as highly of our institution as he does of the High Court of Madras.

"It is my earnest request to the bar that as members of the bar we live up to our traditions and legacies," Mookherjee said, without referring to any incident.

The Calcutta High Court has been witness to protests outside the court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha by a section of lawyers on January 9 over certain orders passed by him.

Former Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava had constituted a three-judge special bench comprising justices Sivagnanam, I P Mukerji and Chitta Ranjan Dash to hear a suo motu Rule of Contempt issued by Justice Mantha on January 10 against some advocates and other persons, who allegedly blocked his courtroom and locked it from outside.