Orissa HC Chief Justice assumes charge in SC

Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice Amitava Roy today assumed charge as Supreme Court judge, taking the apex court's strength to 29, including Chief Justice H L Dattu.

62-year-old Justice Roy was elevated to the apex court and was administered the oath of office by the CJI.

With his appointment, the strength of judges in the top court has risen to 29 as against the sanctioned strength of 31. There is at present only one woman judge, Justice R Banumathi.

Justice Roy was appointed as the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on August 6, 2014.

He hails from a family of lawyers and judges from Kolkata. He had practised before the district courts in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia in Assam from 1976 to 1981.

He shifted his practice before the Gauhati High Court in 1981, and focused mainly on the Civil, Criminal, Constitutional, Labour and Revenue side. He became a judge of the Gauhati High Court in February 2002.

He was appointed as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court in January 2013 before being shifted to Orissa High Court as Chief Justice in August 2014.